Serum trimethylamine-N-oxide and gut microbiome alterations are associated with cholesterol deposition in the liver of laying hens fed with rapeseed meal

Sinapine derived from cruciferous plants could be converted into trimethylamine by intestinal microbiota.Its metabolite,trimethylamine N-oxide(TMAO),is closely linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and fat deposition in mammals.Hens fed with rapeseed meal(RSM)suffered from fatty liver hemorrhage syndrome(FLHS).This study was conducted to investigate whether RSM-induced fatty liver is due to TMAO via altering microbiota composition and diversity.At 33 weeks of age,600 laying hens were randomly divided into 5 treatment groups,namely control and 14%RSM treatment groups(DY5,with 16.2% erucic acid [EA]and 74.66% glucosinolate[Gl]contents;MB1,with 3.50% EA and 43.23 %Gl contents;DY6,with 6.7% EA and 22.67% Gl contents;XH3,with 44.60% EA and 132.83% Gl contents)for 8 weeks.Results revealed that 3 hens died due to liver hemorrhage after ingesting 14% RSM diet.The 14% RSM decreased serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)content(P<0.01)while tended to increase serum TMAO content compared to the control group(P=0.08).The 14% RSM diet increased red oil O optical density(P<0.01),and increased total cholesterol(TC)and LDL-C content in the liver(P<0.01,and P<0.01,respectively).The 14%RSM decreased liver total bile acid(TBA)content compared to the control(P<0.01).The DY6 had a higher TBA content in the liver than the XH3(P<0.01).The 14%RSM decreased mRNA abundance of liver X receptors alpha(LXR-α,P=0.01),and increased mRNA abundance of sterol response element binding protein 2(SREBP-2,P=0.04).Results revealed that the in-feed RSM could alter richness and diversity of cecal microbiota compared to the control(P<0.05).Liver TC content and serum TMAO showed a negative relationship with Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria(P=0.04).In conclusion,14%RSM increased liver TC and induced high liver score of FLHS,which was possibly associated with the altered cecal microbiota composition,increased serum TMAO levels and LXR-αand SREBP-2 expressions.

Protective Effects of Chaihu Shugan San(柴胡疏肝散) on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Rats with Insulin Resistance

Objective： To investigate the protective effects of Chinese medicine formulation Chaihu Shugan San（柴胡疏肝散, CHSGS） on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease（NAFLD） in rats with insulin resistance（IR） and its molecular mechanisms. Methods： Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups： the control group, the model group, Dongbao Gantai group（东宝肝泰, DBGT, 0.09 g methionine/kg）, CHSGS high-dose group（CHSG-H, 12.6 g crude drug/kg）, CHSGS medium-dose group（CHSG-M, 6.3 g crude drug/kg）, and CHSGS low-dose group（CHSG-L, 3.15 g crude drug/kg）. After establishing the NAFLD rat model and treatment for 8 weeks, total cholesterol（TC）, triglyceride（TG）, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol（HDL-C）, free fatty acid（FFA）, fasting blood glucose（FBG）, fasting insulin（FINS） contents in blood serum, and TC, TG contents in the hepatic homogenate were measured by an automatic biochemical analyzer, and a homeostasis model assessment was applied to assess the status of IR, insulin sensitivity index（ISI）, and homeostasis model assessment for insulin secretion（HOMA-IS）. The expression levels of adiponectin and leptin mRNA in liver tissue were analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Pathological changes of livers were observed by hematoxylineosin staining of paraffin section. Results： Compared with the model group, the serum levels of TC, TG, FFA, FBG, FINS, IRI, ISI, and the liver levels of TC and TG in CHSG-H, CHSG-M, CHSG-L groups showed significant declines（P〈0.01 or P〈0.05）; the serum levels of HDL-C, HOMA-IS were significantly increased（P〈0.01 or P〈0.05）; the expression of leptin mRNA was dramatically decreased and the expression of adiponectin mRNA was increased in the hepatic tissue（P〈0.01 or P〈0.05）. The fatty deposition of liver cells could also be alleviated. Conclusion： CHSGS could up-regulate the expression of adiponectin mRNA and down-regulate the expression of leptin mRNA on the liver, suggesting the CHSGS had positive therapeutic effect on NAFLD in rats with IR.

Effect of Compound 962 Capsule on Liver Lipid Peroxidation and Indexes of Thymus Gland and Spleen in Rats

Objective: To investigate the effect of compound 962 capsule (abbre. as 962) on liver lipid peroxidation and indexes of thymus and spleen in aged rats. Methods: Rats were divided into young control, aged model, Piracetam, 962 middle dose (0.9 g/kg) and high dose (1.8 g/kg) groups. All test drugs were administrated for 1 month by gastrogavage. The liver lipid peroxidation was determined by thiobarbituric (TBA) method. The thymus index and spleen index were determined by weighing method. Results: 962 (middle and high dose) attenuated liver lipid peroxidation, increased the thymus index of aged rats. There was no effect on spleen index in all drug-treated groups. Conclusion: 962 could decrease liver lipid peroxidation and increase thymus index. It suggested that 962 might be beneficial in retarding aging process.

The protective effect of vitamin E on gastric mucosal injury in rats with cirrhosis of the liver

Objective To evaluate the functional and morphologic features of stomach in liver cirrhosis model and the cytoprotective effects of Vitamin E. Methods Experimental cirrhosis was induced in rats by subcutaneous administration of 0.4 ml CCl 4 (diluted 1∶4 with olive oil) per kilogram of body weight twice a week for 12 weeks. Rats were divided into three groups. Group 1 was control. Group 2 consisted cirrhotic rats induced by CCl 4 and Group 3 cirrhotic rats treated with Vitamin E (intramuscularly 100 mg/kg per day during study). At the end of 12 weeks, gastric mucosal injury was produced by instillation of absolute alcohol via an orogastric tube. After 3 hours, each animal was sacrificed. The stomachs were macroscopically, microscopically and biochemically analyzed. Results Macroscopic and microscopic area of gastric mucosal injury were significantly larger in cirrhotic rats (P<0.05). Gastric mucosal injury was more serious in cirrhotic rats as compared with Group 1. With vitamin E treatment, tissue Malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione levels were significantly lower in group 3 as compared with group 2 (P<0.001). Conclusion Gastric mucosa in cirrhotic rats has distinctive histological and functional abnormalities. These abnormalities can be reversed by Vitamin E or other antioxidants.