Dietary supplementation with 2-hydroxy-4-methyl(thio)butanoic acid and DL-methionine improves productive performance,egg quality and redox status of commercial laying ducks

This experiment aimed to study the effects of supplemental methionine sources,2-hydroxy-4 methyl(thio)butanoic acid(HMTBa)and DL-Methionine(DL-Met),on productive performance,egg quality,and redox status of laying ducks.A total of 792 healthy 25-wk-old Longyan laying ducks with similar body weights were randomly allotted to 11 treatment groups.Each treatment group had 6 replicates of 12 ducks.The trial lasted for 16 wk.Ducks were fed a basal deficient diet(Met:0.24%;Met+Cys:0.51%)or supplemented with DL-Met or HMTBa at 0.05%,0.12%,0.19%,0.26%,and 0.33%of diet,respectively.Compared with the basal diet,supplementation with either DL-Met or HMTBa increased the average egg weight,egg mass,and decreased feed to egg ratio during the whole trial period(P<0.05).Albumen weight and its ratio to total egg weight were increased,but yolk and shell ratio,albumen height,Haugh unit and shell breaking strength were decreased(P<0.05).Dietary DL-Met or HMTBa supplementation increased taurine,methionine,leucine,tryptophan and arginine content,and decreased serine and lysine content in plasma(P<0.05).The redox status of laying ducks was improved by enhancing the glutathione peroxidase and catalase activities,glutathione content and its ratio relative to glutathione(oxidized)content and decreasing malondialdehyde content and increasing mRNA expression of superoxide dismutase-1,glutathione peroxidase-1,hemeoxygenase-1 and nuclear factor-like 2 in liver and ileum with the supplementation of DL-Met or HMTBa(P<0.05).Liver health status measured by average area proportion lipid droplet was improved with supplementation of DL-Met or HMTBa(P<0.05).Villus height and villus height to crypt depth ratio in the ileum and the ileal gene expression of tight junction protein and occludin were increased with DL-Met or HMTBa supplementation(P<0.05).Taken together,these results suggested that the efficacy of dietary supplementation of HMTBa was similar to DL-Met,and it ranged from 98%to 100%for productive performance and egg albumen ratio in laying ducks(25 to 41 wk).

A New Chiral Synthesis of Naturally Occurring (-)-(S)-4-Hydroxy-2-pyrrolidinone

A new and convenient chiral synthesis of naturally occurring (-)-(S)-4-hydroxy-2-pyrrolidinone from (S)-malic acid was reported.

A New Sesquiterpene-substituted Benzoic Acid from the Brown Alga Dictyopteris divaricata

A new sesquiterpene-substituted benzoic acid has been isolated from the brown Alga Dictyopteris divaricata Okam.. Its structure was elucidated as 3-[(2-hydroxy-2,5,5,8a-tetra- methyldecahydro-1-naphthalenyl)methyl]-4-hydroxybenzoic acid, named dictyvaric acid on the basis of spectroscopic methods including IR, HRFABMS, 1D and 2D NMR techniques.

蛋氨酸羟基类似物对小鼠组织自由基和抗氧化作用研究

目的:研究蛋氨酸(MET)和蛋氨酸羟基类似物(HMTBA)对饲喂高脂日粮小鼠自由基水平、抗氧化作用及其血脂代谢的影响。方法:50只昆明种雄性小鼠分成5组,分别是正常+0.2%MET组、正常+0.1%MET+0.1%HMTBA组、高脂+0.2%MET组、高脂+0.2%HMTBA组、高脂+0.1%MET+0.1%HMTBA组。结果:与正常+0.2%MET组相比,高脂+0.2%MET可导致小鼠氧化应激,升高血液和组织的自由基水平,降低机体抗氧化能力,使血脂水平和动脉粥样硬化指数升高;而高脂+0.2%HMTBA能显著降低机体自由基水平,增强血清及组织中GSH-Px及CAT活性,显著升高T-AOC水平,显著降低MDA水平,与高脂+0.2%MET组相比,HDL升高,LDL、TG、TC、AI显著降低。结论:两种蛋氨酸源中,HMTBA有较好地抗氧化作用,能够更好地清除体内的自由基,提高机体的抗氧化能力,降低血脂。

液体蛋氨酸羟基类似物对蛋鸡生产性能、鸡蛋品质、养分利用率和血液生化指标的影响

试验用38周龄健康的罗曼粉壳蛋鸡600只,经饲喂玉米-豆粕-麦麸型基础日粮(蛋氨酸0.22%、蛋氨酸+胱氨酸0.48%)10d后,随机分为4个处理,每个处理5个重复,每个重复30只蛋鸡。处理1为对照组,饲喂基础日粮;处理2在每千克基础日粮中添加1.325gDL-Met;处理3和处理4以液体蛋氨酸羟基类似物(HMB,活性物质88%)在等摩尔基础上按100%或50%分别替代处理2的DL-Met。试验期10周。试验结果表明:在基础饲粮中添加DL-Met以满足高产蛋鸡的蛋氨酸需要可提高3～10周的产蛋率,并极显著地提高了3～10周的蛋重、日产蛋重、干物质、钙、磷和粗蛋白的表观代谢率(P<0.01),极显著降低了饲料转化率比(P<0.01),对采食量、鸡蛋蛋形指数、破蛋率、软蛋率、蛋黄重、蛋黄比例、哈氏单位、蛋壳重、蛋壳厚度、蛋壳强度、鸡蛋水分和粗蛋白含量无显著影响(P>0.05)。在等摩尔基础上HMB以100%或50%替代DL-Met,对蛋鸡生产性能、鸡蛋品质和养分代谢率的影响与DL-Met无显著差异。结果表明在蛋鸡玉米-豆粕-麦麸型饲粮中HMB的生物学效价与DL-Met相同。

A new pyrrolidone derivative from Pistacia chinensis

A new N-phenyl-pyrrolidone derivative had been isolated from Pistacia chinesis Bunge. Its structure was elucidated as 4-hydroxy-5-（2-oxo-1-pyrrolidinyl）-benzoic acid, named pistaciamide on the basis of the 1D-NMR, DEPT, HMQC and HMBC spectroscopic techniques. 2007 Xi Kui Liu. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.

A systematic review of metabolism of methionine sources in animals:One parameter does not convey a comprehensive story

The goal of this review article,based on a systematic literature search,is to critically assess the state of knowledge and experimental methodologies used to delineate the conversion and metabolism of the 2 methionine(Met)sources DL-methionine(DL-Met)and DL-2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio)butanoic acid(HMTBa).The difference in the chemical structures of HMTBa and DL-Met indicates that these molecules are absorbed and metabolized differently in animals.This review explores the methodologies used to describe the 2-step enzymatic conversion of the 3 enantiomers(D-HMTBa,L-HMTBa and D-Met)to L-Met,as well as the site of conversion at the organ and tissue levels.Extensive work was published documenting the conversion of HMTBa and D-Met into L-Met and,consequently,the incorporation into protein using a variety of in vitro techniques,such as tissue homogenates,cell lines,primary cell lines,and everted gut sacs of individual tissues.These studies illustrated the role of the liver,kidney,and intestine in the con-version of Met precursors into L-Met.A combination of in vivo studies using stable isotopes and infusions provided evidence of the wide conversion of HMTBa to L-Met by all tissues and how some tissues are net users of HMTBa,whereas others are net secreters of L-Met derived from HMTBa.Conversion of D-Met to L-Met in organs other than the liver and kidney is poorly documented.The methodology cited in the literature to determine conversion efficiency ranged from measurements of urinary,fecal,and respiratory excretion to plasma concentration and tissue incorporation of isotopes after intraperitoneal and oral in-fusions.Differences observed between these methodologies reflect differences in the metabolism of Met sources rather than differences in conversion efficiency.The factors affecting conversion efficiency are explored in this paper and are mostly associated with extreme dietary conditions,such as noncommercial crystalline diets that are very deficient in total sulfur amino acids with respect to requirements.Impli-cations in the diversion of the 2 Met sources toward transsulfuration over transmethylation pathways are discussed.The strengths and weaknesses of some methodologies used are discussed in this review.From this review,it can be concluded that due to the inherent differences in conversion and metabolism of the 2 Met sources,the experimental methodologies(e.g.,selecting different organs at different time points or using diets severely deficient in Met and cysteine)can impact the conclusions of the study and may explain the apparent divergences of conclusion found in the literature.It is recommended when con-ducting studies or reviewing the literature to properly select the experimental models that allow for differences in how the 2 Met precursors are converted to L-Met and metabolized by the animal to enable a proper comparison of their bioefficacy.

Dietary methionine sources and levels modulate the intestinal health status of broiler chickens

Given the key role of methionine in biological processes,adequate methionine should be provided to meet the nutritional requirements.DL-2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio)-butanoic acid(DL-HMTBA)has been considered as an important source of methionine.However,the effects of different sources and levels of methionine on the intestinal health status have not been clarified yet.An experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of different dietary sources and levels of methionine on the intestinal epithelial barrier,inflammatory cytokines expression,ileal morphology,microbiota composition,and cecal short chain fatty acids(SCFA)profiles.For this purpose,720 male Arbor Acre broiler chicks at 1 d old were randomly assigned to a 2×3 factorial arrangement with 2 methionine sources(DL-methionine and DLHMTBA)and 3 total sulfur amino acids(TSAA)levels(80%,100%,and 120%of Arbor Acre recommendation).The results showed that DL-HMTBA supplementation promoted intestinal physical barrier at both gene expression level of claudin-1 and serum diamine oxidase level(P<0.05),and the inflammatory cytokine IL-6 m RNA expression was down-regulated by dietary DL-HMTBA supplementation compared with the DL-methionine group(P<0.05).Meanwhile,an upregulated gene expression of claudin-1 and zonula occluden-1(ZO-1)were observed in the low-TSAA treatment on d 14(P<0.05),whereas this treatment increased the expression of IL-1βand IL-6(P<0.05).Villus height to crypt depth ratio was high(P<0.05)in the middle-level TSAA group.Furthermore,DL-HMTBA supplementation optimized the microbiota of the ileum especially the relative abundance of Lactobacillus,where the digestion and absorption were completed,and elevated the concentrations of SCFA(acetate,propionate,and butyrate)in the cecal content on d 21(P<0.01).In conclusion,dietary DL-HMTBA supplementation improved the intestinal barrier function,immune homeostasis and optimized the microbiota to promote intestinal health status in broiler chickens.