The demand for animal protein has increased considerably worldwide, especially in China, where large numbers of livestock and poultry are produced. Antibiotics have been widely applied to promote growth and prevent diseases. However, the overuse of antibiotics in animal feed has caused serious environmental and health risks, especially the wide spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which seriously affects animal and human health, food safety, ecosystems, and the sustainable future development of animal protein production. Unfortunately, AMR has already become a worldwide challenge, so international cooperation is becoming more important for combatting it. China’s efforts and determination to restrict antibiotic usage through law enforcement and effective management are of significance. In this review, we address the pollution problems of antibiotics; in particular, the AMR in water, soil, and plants caused by livestock and poultry manure in China. The negative impact of widespread and intensive use of antibiotics in livestock production is discussed. To reduce and mitigate AMR problems, we emphasize in this review the development of antibiotic substitutes for the era of antibiotic prohibition.

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Ferroptosis, a new type of non-apoptotic cell death modality, is different from other modes of cell death and has been primarily found in tumor cells. Previous studies have reported that ferroptosis can be triggered by specific modulators (e.g., drugs, nutrients, and iron chelators), leading to increased intracellular lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and iron overload. Recent reports have shown that ferroptosis at the cellular and organism levels can prevent an inflammatory storm and cancer development. Emerging evidence suggests potential mechanisms (e.g., system Xc-, glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), lipid peroxidation, glutathione (GSH), and iron chelators) are involved in ferroptosis, which may mediate biological processes such as oxidative stress and iron overload to treat cancer. To date, there are at least three pathways that mediate ferroptosis in cancer cells: system Xc-/GSH/GPX4, FSP1/CoQ10/NAD(P)H, and ATG5/ATG7/NCOA4. Here, we summarize recent advances in the occurrence and development of ferroptosis in the context of cancer, the associations between ferroptosis and various modulators, and the potential mechanisms and therapeutic strategies targeting ferroptosis for the treatment of cancer.

Zearalenone (ZEA) is a natural contaminant of various food and feed products representing a significant problem worldwide. Since the occurrence of ZEA in grains and feeds is frequent, the present study was carried out to evaluate the possible effects of ZEA on steroid production and gene expression of porcine granulosa cells, using RNA-seq analysis. Porcine granulosa cells were administered 10 μM and 30 μM ZEA during 72 h of culture in vitro. Following ZEA treatment the gene expression profile of control and exposed granulosa cells was compared using RNA-seq analysis. The results showed that in the exposed granulosa cells ZEA significantly altered the transcript levels, particularly steroidogenesis associated genes. Compared with the control group, 10 μM and 30 μM ZEA treatment significantly increased the mRNA expression of EDN1, IER3, TGFβ and BDNF genes and significantly reduced the mRNA expression of IGF-1 and SFRP2 genes. In particular, ZEA significantly decreased the expression of genes essential for estrogen synthesis including FSHR, CYP19A1 and HSD17β in granulosa cells. Furthermore, Q-PCR and Western-blot analysis also confirmed reduced expression of these genes in ZEA exposed granulosa cells. These effects were associated with a significant reduction of 17β-estradiol concentrations in the culture medium of granulosa cells. Collectively, these results demonstrated a concretely deleterious effect of ZEA exposure on the mRNA expression of steroidogenesis related genes and the production of steroid hormones in porcine ovarian granulosa cells in vitro.

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To explore the relationship among the level of fiber, gut microbiota, and nutritional substances, we applied the next generation sequencing technology for the identification of the composition and structure of microbiota in the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, a total of 25 phyla and 298 genera were identified from the gastrointestinal tract; Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria were the predominant phyla. The ability of cecum in carbohydrate metabolism was significantly higher than that of the gizzard and ileum (P < 0.05). The bacterial community structure in various stages of the development of the cecum was different. In the different growth stages of cecum, the increase in the microbiota structure of the fiber level elevates the ability of carbon hydration. Second, the apparent metabolic rates of the other nutrients were affected by the fiber and period except for acid detergent fiber (P < 0.05); the apparent utilization rate of the nutrients increased with time. However, with the increase in the fiber level, the apparent utilization of nutrients was initially increased, followed by a decrease. Therefore, a correlation was established between the fiber level and gastrointestinal microbiota and apparent nutrient utilization rate of the 3 phyla. Our results suggest that the fiber level and growth stages could impact the composition of gut microbiota.