Supplemental magnolol or honokiol attenuates adverse effects in broilers infected with Salmonella pullorum by modulating mucosal gene expression and the gut microbiota

Background:Salmonella pullorum is one of the most harmful pathogens to avian species.Magnolol and honokiol,natural compounds extracted from Magnolia officinalis,exerts anti-inflammatory,anti-oxidant and antibacterial activities.This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplemental magnolol and honokiol in broilers infected with S.pullorum.A total of 360 one-day-old broilers were selected and randomly divided into four groups with six replicates:the negative control group(CTL),S.pullorum-infected group(SP),and the S.pulloruminfected group supplemented with 300 mg/kg honokiol(SPH)or magnolol(SPM).Results:The results showed that challenging with S.pullorum impaired growth performance in broilers,as indicated by the observed decreases in body weight(P<0.05)and average daily gains(P<0.05),along with increased spleen(P<0.01)and bursa of Fabricus weights(P<0.05),serum globulin contents,and the decreased intestine villus height and villus/crypt ratios(P<0.05).Notably,supplemental magnolol and honokiol attenuated these adverse changes,and the effects of magnolol were better than those of honokiol.Therefore,we performed RNA-Seq in ileum tissues and 16S rRNA gene sequencing of ileum bacteria.Our analysis revealed that magnolol increased the α-diversity(observed species,Chao1,ACE,and PD whole tree)and β-diversity of the ileum bacteria(P<0.05).In addition,magnolol supplementation increased the abundance of Lactobacillus(P<0.01)and decreased unidentified Cyanobacteria(P<0.05)both at d 14 and d 21.Further study confirmed that differentially expressed genes induced by magnolol and honokiol supplementation enriched in cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions,in the intestinal immune network for IgA production,and in the cell adhesion molecule pathways.Conclusions:Supplemental magnolol and honokiol alleviated S.pullorum-induced impairments in growth performance,and the effect of magnolol was better than that of honokiol,which could be partially due to magnolol’s ability to improve the intestinal microbial and mucosal barrier.

Effects of long-term partial substitution of inorganic fertilizer with pig manure and/or straw on nitrogen fractions and microbiological properties in greenhouse vegetable soils

Partial substitution of inorganic fertilizers with organic amendments is an important agricultural management practice.An 11-year field experiment(22 cropping periods)was carried out to analyze the impacts of different partial substitution treatments on crop yields and the transformation of nitrogen fractions in greenhouse vegetable soil.Four treatments with equal N,P_(2)O_(5),and K_(2)O inputs were selected,including complete inorganic fertilizer N(CN),50%inorganic fertilizer N plus 50%pig manure N(CPN),50%inorganic fertilizer N plus 25%pig manure N and 25%corn straw N(CPSN),and 50%inorganic fertilizer N plus 50%corn straw N(CSN).Organic substitution treatments tended to increase crop yields since the 6th cropping period compared to the CN treatment.From the 8th to the 22nd cropping periods,the highest yields were observed in the CPSN treatment where yields were 7.5-11.1%greater than in CN treatment.After 11-year fertilization,compared to CN,organic substitution treatments significantly increased the concentrations of NO_(3)^(-)-N,NH_(4)^(+)-N,acid hydrolysis ammonium-N(AHAN),amino acid-N(AAN),amino sugar-N(ASN),and acid hydrolysis unknown-N(AHUN)in soil by 45.0-69.4,32.8-58.1,49.3-66.6,62.0-69.5,34.5-100.3,and 109.2-172.9%,respectively.Redundancy analysis indicated that soil C/N and OC concentration significantly affected the distribution of N fractions.The highest concentrations of NO_(3)^(-)-N,AHAN,AAN,AHUN were found in the CPSN treatment.Organic substitution treatments increased the activities ofβ-glucosidase,β-cellobiosidase,N-acetyl-glucosamidase,L-aminopeptidase,and phosphatase in the soil.Organic substitution treatments reduced vector length and increased vector angle,indicating alleviation of constraints of C and N on soil microorganisms.Organic substitution treatments increased the total concentrations of phospholipid fatty acids(PLFAs)in the soil by 109.9-205.3%,and increased the relative abundance of G^(+)bacteria and fungi taxa,but decreased the relative abundance of G-bacteria,total bacteria,and actinomycetes.Overall,long-term organic substitution management increased soil OC concentration,C/N,and the microbial population,the latter in turn positively influenced soil enzyme activity.Enhanced microorganism numbers and enzyme activity enhanced soil N sequestration by transforming inorganic N to acid hydrolysis-N(AHN),and enhanced soil N supply capacity by activating non-acid hydrolysis-N(NAHN)to AHN,thus improving vegetable yield.Application of inorganic fertilizer,manure,and straw was a more effective fertilization model for achieving sustainable greenhouse vegetable production than application of inorganic fertilizer alone.