Dietary silymarin ameliorating reproductive and lactation performance of sows via regulating body antioxidant and metabolism

Objective The experiment was conducted to explore the effects of silymarin on reproductive and lactation performance,serum antioxidants,and body metabolism of sows.Methods Sixty pregnant sows(85 d,Large×Landrace)with similar genetic background,body condition,and parity were randomly divided into three groups,and each group has 20 individually housed sows.The sows in the control group(CG)were fed with basal diet,and those in the experimental group A(EGA)and B(EGB)were fed with basal diet containing 250 and 500 mg/kg silymarin,respectively.The experiment lasted 46 days from day 85 of gestation to the end of lactation(weaning on day 17).The milk composition and serum biochemical para-meters were determined by a milk composition analyzer and a blood biochemical analyzer,respectively.Serum antioxidant indexes and plasma hormone levels were measured using the biochemical kits.The gas chromatograph was applied to detect the fecal short chain fatty acids.Results Compared with the CG,the total feed intake(TFI)and average daily feed intake(ADFI)were significantly increased(P<0.01),and the urea content in regular milk tended to increase(P=0.095)in the EG.The serum malondialdehyde(MDA)contents were decreased on day 90 of gestation and the day of farrowing(P<0.01),and the serum contents of total antioxidant capacity(T-AOC)tended to increase on day 17 of lactation(P=0.099)compared with the CG.Compared with the CG,the serum triglyceride(TG)concentrations in the EG tended to increase on day 90 of gestation(P=0.062),and the content of serum total protein(TP)and albumin(ALB)reduced on day 17 of lactation(P<0.01).Compared with the CG,plasm D-lactic acid content was decreased(P<0.05),and the plasma prostaglandin(PG)level tended to increase(P=0.088)in the EG on the day of farrowing and day 17 of lactation.Compared with the CG,fecal isobutyric acid concentration in the EG significantly decreased on the day of farrowing(P<0.05).Conclusion Adding 250-500 mg/kg silymarin to diets from the late gestation to the end of lactation could improve reproductive and lactation performance of sows via the regulation of nutrient metabolism and serum antioxidant.

Increased BMR in Overweight and Obese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes may Result from an Increased Fat-free Mass

The study aimed to determine the relationships between the basal metabolic rate（BMR） and body composition of overweight and obese Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus（DM）. This cross-sectional clinical study enrolled 193 Chinese adults with type 2 DM who were overweight（24 kg/m2≤BMI〈28 kg/m2, n=99）, or obese（BMI ≥28 kg/m2, n=94）. Ninety-seven adults with normal BMIs, including 50 DM patients and 47 healthy adults, were recruited as a control group. BMR was measured by indirect calorimetry; predicted BMR was calculated according to the Schofield equation; and the relationships between BMR, body composition, and biochemical results were determined by the Pearson correlation. The results showed that obese DM patients had significantly higher BMRs than both overweight patients（P〈0.05） and patients with normal BMI did（P〈0.05）. The measured BMR was significantly lower than the predicted BMR（P〈0.05） in all groups. Obese and overweight DM patients had significantly greater weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, BMI, body surface area, body fat percentage, fat mass, and fat-free mass than patients with normal BMI. Except for waist circumference, these body composition measurements were significantly increased in obese DM patients when compared with those in overweight DM patients（P〈0.05）. Fat-free mass was closely correlated with BMR in both DM patients（r=0.874, P〈0.01） and in healthy controls（r=0.902, P〈0.01）. It was concluded that overweight and obese Chinese adults with type 2 DM had increased BMRs compared with normal-weight controls, which may result from the difference in fat-free mass.