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The aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidant potential of ampelopsin (APS) by using various methods in vitro, as well as to determine effects of APS on LPS-induced oxidative stress in piglets. The results showed that APS exhibited excellent free radical scavenging by DPPH, ABTS, O2•−, H2O2 and ferric reducing antioxidant power. Ampelopsin also protected pig erythrocytes against AAPH-induced apoptosis and hemolysis, decreased total superoxide dismutase activity, and increased lipid peroxidation. Furthermore the results demonstrated that APS enhanced the total antioxidant capacity and decreased the malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl contents in LPS-treated piglets. The results of the present investigation suggest that APS possesses a strong antioxidant activity and alleviates LPS-induced oxidative stress, possibly due to its ability to prevent reactive oxygen species.

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Several previous studies have shown that bacteriophages can significantly affect the production of various cytokines. The aim of this present study was to investigate the inflammatory effects and mechanisms of bacteriophage vB_SauM_JS25 in stimulated MAC-T bovine mammary epithelial cells by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blotting. Experiments show that vB_SauM_JS25 reduces Staphylococcus aureus- or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) mRNA in MAC-T cells, in a manner expected to be unrelated to its antibacterial action. Moreover, S. aureus bacteriophage vB_SauM_JS25 suppressed the LPS-induced phosphorylation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB p65, which may represent an important mechanism mediating these effects. A carefully regulated balance between activation and inhibition by bacteriophages must be kept avoiding inappropriate inflammatory responses. The ability of vB_SauM_JS25 to influence the immune response highlights the potential development and application of bacteriophage-based therapies and may represent a novel anti-inflammatory therapeutic strategy.

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Macrophage foam cells store excess cholesterol as cholesteryl esters, which need to be hydrolyzed for cholesterol efflux. We recently reported that silencing expression of carboxylesterase 1 (CES1) in human THP-1 macrophages (CES1KD macrophages) reduced cholesterol uptake and decreased expression of CD36 and scavenger receptor-A in cells loaded with acetylated low-density lipoprotein (acLDL). Here, we report that CES1KD macrophages exhibit reduced transcription of cytochrome P450 27A1 (CYP27A1) in non-loaded and acLDL-loaded cells. Moreover, levels of CYP27A1 protein and its enzymatic product, 27-hydroxycholesterol, were markedly reduced in CES1KD macrophages. Transcription of LXRα and ABCA1 was also decreased in acLDL-loaded CES1KD macrophages, suggesting reduced signaling through PPARγ-CYP27A1-LXRα. Consistent with this, treatment of CES1KD macrophages with agonists for PPARγ, RAR, and/or RAR/RXR partially restored transcription of CYP27A1 and LXRα, and repaired cholesterol influx. Conversely, treatment of control macrophages with antagonists for PPARγ and/or RXR decreased transcription of CYP27A1 and LXRα. Pharmacologic inhibition of CES1 in both wildtype THP-1 cells and primary human macrophages also decreased CYP27A1 transcription. CES1 silencing did not affect transcript levels of PPARγ and RXR in acLDL-loaded macrophages, whereas it did reduce the catabolism of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol. Finally, the gene expression profile of CES1KD macrophages was similar to that of PPARγ knockdown cells following acLDL exposures, further suggesting a mechanistic link between CES1 and PPARγ. These results are consistent with a model in which abrogation of CES1 function attenuates the CYP27A1-LXRα-ABCA1 signaling axis by depleting endogenous ligands for the nuclear receptors PPARγ, RAR, and/or RXR that regulate cholesterol homeostasis.

We previously reported that medium-chain TAG (MCT) could alleviate hepatic oxidative damage in weanling piglets with intra-uterine growth retardation (IUGR). There is a relationship between oxidative status and energy metabolism, a process involved in substrate availability and glucose flux. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of IUGR and MCT on hepatic energy metabolism and mitochondrial function in weanling piglets. Twenty-four IUGR piglets and twenty-four normal-birth-weight (NBW) piglets were fed a diet of either soyabean oil (SO) or MCT from 21 d of postnatal age to 49 d of postnatal age. Then, the piglets' biochemical parameters and gene expressions related to energy metabolism and mitochondrial function were determined (n 4). Compared with NBW, IUGR decreased the ATP contents and succinate oxidation rates in the liver of piglets, and reduced hepatic mitochondrial citrate synthase (CS) activity (P < 0·05). IUGR piglets exhibited reductions in hepatic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) contents and gene expressions related to mitochondrial biogenesis compared with NBW piglets (P < 0·05). The MCT diet increased plasma ghrelin concentration and hepatic CS and succinate dehydrogenase activities, but decreased hepatic pyruvate kinase activity compared with the SO diet (P < 0·05). The MCT-fed piglets showed improved mtDNA contents and PPARγ coactivator-1α expression in the liver (P < 0·05). The MCT diet alleviated decreased mRNA abundance of the hepatic PPARα induced by IUGR (P < 0·05). It can therefore be postulated that MCT may have beneficial effects in improving energy metabolism and mitochondrial function in weanling piglets.