The Study on the Effects of Chinese Herbal Mixtures on Growth,Activity of Post-Ruminal Digestive Enzymes and Serum Antioxidant Status of Beef Cattle

Sixteen Limousin×Luxi crossbred beef cattle [（199.4±8.67） kg] were used to evaluate the effects of Chinese herbal mixtures （CHM） on growth, activities of post-ruminal digestive enzymes and serum antioxidant status of beef cattle. Treatments were control （no CHM supplementation） and three formulations of CHM （CHM-A, CHM-B and CHM-C） that were arranged as completely randomized design. The calves were fed in indoor individual feeding barn with total mixed ration for 90 d. The CHM-A, CHM-B, and CHM-C was incorporated into the diet at the level of 20 g kg-1 DM （dry matter） of concentrate. The cattle were weighted at the beginning, at the end and every 15 d between to determine growth rate. Blood sample was taken every 30 d to analyze activities of total superoxide dismutase （T-SOD） and glutathione peroxidase （GSH-PX） and concentration of malondialdehyde （MDA）. The cattle were slaughtered at the end of experiment and chymus samples from various section of the post-ruminal digestive tract were collected to analyze enzymes activities. All cattle had similar average daily gain, but cattle supplemented with CHM-A tended faster growth （P=0.08） compared to the control and other CHM treatments. Supplementation of CHM did not affect pH of chymus in any section of the post-ruminal digestive tract. Activities of pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, and lipase in chymus samples were enhanced （P0.05） to various extents by supplementation of CHM-A, CHM-B, and CHM-C depending on the enzymes and the site of the digestive tract. Amylase activity was increased only by CHM-A and CHM-C from chymus sample collected at the ileum. Supplementation of CHM-A and CHM-B reduced （P0.05） concentration of MDA, but did not affect GSH-PX activity in the serum of cattle throughout the entire experimental period. Cattle supplemented with CHM-B also had higher （P0.05） T-SOD activity in the serum at day 30 and 60 as compared with the control and the other two CHM treatments. Chinese herbal mixtures supplemented at the levels of 20 g kg-1 DM of concentrate increased post-ruminal digestive enzymes activity and enhanced serum antioxidant status. Inclusion of CHM-A and CHM-B in the diet may be favourable for ruminant production.

Changes of free radicals and digestive enzymes in saliva in cases with deficiency inspleen-yin syndrome

Objective：To explore the nature of deficiency in spleen-yin syndrome,which could provide scientific theoretical support and practical guidance for clinical Traditional Chinese Medicine（TCM）syndrome differentiation based on biology,and had a strong clinical significance.Methods：Serum Cu and Zn were detected by atomic absorption spectrophotometer,serum vitamin E by high performance liquid chromatography,serum vitamin C by 2,4-Dinitrophenylhydrazine Colorimetry,total superoxide dismutase（SOD）and Cu and Zn- SOD by the xanthine oxidase method,and malondialdehyde（MDA）by the 2-thiobarbituric acid method（TBA）.Total antioxidant capacity was detected by a colorimetry kit.Amylase Activity was detected by an automatic biochemical analyzer.Lysozyme was detected by lysozyme detection plate,the diameter of bacteriolysis circle was measured and the corresponding content of lysozyme was obtained from a table of standard curve values.Results： No significant difference in total SOD and Cu,Zn-SOD was found between deficiency in spleen-yin group and normal group.However,such factors in deficiency in kidney-yin group were significantly lower than the other groups（P〈0.05）.The MDA content in both deficiency in spleen-yin group and deficiency in kidney-yin group were significantly higher than that of normal group（P〈0.05）,while the total antioxidant capacity was significantly lower than normal group（P〈0.05）.The vitamin E content in deficiency in kidney-yin group was significantly lower than that in the other two groups（P〈0.05）.No significant difference in the contents of vitamin C,Cu and Zn were observed in these groups.The Zn/Cu level in deficiency in kidney-yin group and the vitamin E level in deficiency in spleen-yin group decreased,but with no significant difference.Amylase activity in unit time in cases with deficiency in spleen-yin was lower than and had significant differences with that in normal cases,and higher than that in cases with deficiency in kidney-yin.The sectional velocity of saliva and the ratio of lysozyme in normal case group were significantly higher than other two groups,while deficiency in the spleen-yin group was significantly higher than the deficiency in kidney-yin group.Conclusion：All the results indicated that the objective pathological mechanism between the deficiency in spleen-yin and deficiency in kidney-yin was different.

Effects of exogenous enzymes and dietary energy on performance and digestive physiology of broilers

The study was conducted to compare the effects of XG with AG and BM at different metabolizable energy diets on growth performance, digestive physiology and energy utilization of broilers fed with corn-SBM diet. A 2 x 4 factoria design was used with two basal diets （the positive control group, PC; negative control with ME reduction 100 kcal/ kg, NC） and with or without the addition of three exogenous enzymes （0.02% BM; 0.01% AG; 0.05% XG） respectively. 1,200 one-day-old broilers were randomly allocated to 8 treatments with 10 pens of 1_5 broilers. There was no significant difference on BW, BWG, and FI at 0-21d, 21-42d or 0-42d for diet, enzymes or their interactions, but FI at 22-42d and 0-42d were tend to be decreased with the addition of enzymes. The F/G was significantly improved by the addition of enzymes especially in NC diet. The dietary AME and TME in PC or NC diet were significantly increased by XG or AG in NC diet. The villus length and V/C of ileum were significantly increased by the addition of BM or XG. XG improved the activities of trypsin, chymotrypsin and amylase, BM improved the activity of trypsin at 21d, and AG improved the activity of chymotrypsin at 21d. Comparing to PC diet, the addition of enzymes in PC or NC diet decreased feed cost per kg body weight gain especially in NC diet （except AG in PC diet） with the highest profits for XG in NC diet. In conclusion, supplementation of 0.02% BM or 0.01% AG or 0.0.5% XG could improve feed conversion of broilers in corn-soybean meal diet by improving energy utilization and digestive physiology, and also supplementation of 0.05% XG had a preferable efficacy in low energy diet.

Effects of Exogenous NSP Enzymes(Xylanase, β-glucanase and Cellulase) on Morphology and Functions of Digestive Tract in Growing Pigs Fed with Paddy-Based Diets

Ninety Landrace×Jia 35±0. 40 kg weight growing pigs were randomly allotted to three treatments , each of which was replicated three times with ten pigs per replicate. The pigs were reared on either a conventional corn-based diet (control I ) or a paddy-based diet (control I ) or a paddy diet supplemented with 0.2% NSP enzymes (test group). All pigs were given ad libitum access to both feed and water. The results of feeding trial showed that supplementation of NSP enzymes significantly increased ADG by 8.78% (P< 0.05) and decreased F/G by 9. 42% (P<0. 05) over the control group Ⅱ. No significant differences were found in ADG and F/G between control group I and the test group. The digestive trial showed that adding NSP enzymes significantly improved apparent digestibility of CP, EE and CF by 18. 76 (P<0. 01), 16.04 (P <0.05) and 108. 57%(P<0. 05), respectively, compared to control Ⅱ. The activities of proteolytic enzyme and α-amylase in duodenal contents were increased by 99. 07 (P<0. 01) and 18. 41% (P<0. 05) with the addition of NSP enzymes. No significant differences between test and control Ⅱ group were found in activities of the pepsin in the gastric content, the trypsin and lipase in duodenal contents. the disaccharidase and y-glutany transferase (γ-GT) in intestinal mucosa, but there was a tendency towards higher activities associated with the NSP enzymes diet(P>0. 05). The lengths of the villi within the duodenal, jejunal and ileal sections of the small intestine of pigs receiving the NSP enzymes diet were increased by 23. 68 (P<0. 05), 56. 00 (P<0. 01) and 76. 90%(P<0. 01) respectively, relative to the pigs in controlⅡ.

Effects of Dietary Soy Protein Concentrate on Growth, Digestive Enzymes Activities and Target of Rapamycin Signaling Pathway Regulation in Juvenile Soft-Shelled Turtle, <i>Pelodiscus sinensis</i>

Soft-shelled turtle, Pelodiscus sinensis is important aquatic species in China, and searching for alternatives protein resources to fish meal (FM)-based feeds in feed has become urgent and important for its sustainability development. The present study was conducted to assess the effects of dietary soy protein concentrate (SPC) on growth, digestive enzymes and target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling pathway of juvenile P. sinensis (4.56 ± 0.09 g). SPC was applied to replace FM protein at 0%, 15%, 30% and 60% (designated as T0, T15, T30 and T60, respectively), and each diet was fed to triplicate groups. The results showed that there was no significant difference in growth performance and feed utilization except of the turtles fed with T60 diet, of which showed poorer daily weight gain and feed conversion rate. The pepsin/trypsin and Na+-K+ ATP-ase activities decreased dramatically when SPC level increased, and lipase activities in liver and intestinal tract also showed decline tendency. However, amylase activities were unaffected. No significant differences were observed in TOR, S6K1 and 4E-BP1 genes mRNA expression level of TOR signaling pathway among the treatments. However, the relative phosphorylated level of these proteins decreased significantly when SPC level increased. The present study indicated that high SPC substitution level would suppress digestive enzymes and TOR signaling pathway proteins phosphorylated level and eventually result in growth reduction of P. sinensis.

Studies on Digestive Enzymes in Alimentary Tract of Southern Sheatfish (Silurus meridionalis Chen) Larvae Ⅰ-Trypsin and Pepsin

The pepsin and trypsin activities and some of the properties of the two enzymes of southern sheatfish larvae were studied. The results were as follows: the highest level of trypsin activity is in the foregut in all measured tissues; from foregut to hindgut, trypsin activities decrease; the pH optimum of trypsin activity is pH9.0; the strongest pepsin activity is in the stomach; the proper density of haemoglobin for detecting pepsin activity is 1.0%. These data are useful in solving applied nutritional problems, such as the adequacy of artificial food to the digestive abilities of the fish.

Changes of visceral properties and digestive enzymes in the herbivorous marine teleost Siganus canaliculatus fed on different diets

The rabbitfish Siganus canaliculatus is one of the few cultured herbivorous marine teleosts. To better understand the digestive physiology of this fish and provide data for designing formulated feed using macroalgae as an ingredient, the changes of visceral properties and digestive enzyme activities were investigated after the juveniles were fed on different types of food including raw fish（RF）, formulated diet（FD） or macroalgae Enteromorpha prolifra（EP） and Gracilaria lemaneiformis（GL） for eight weeks. The results showed that the hepatosomatic and viscerosomatic indices in the RF and FD groups, as well as the relative intestine length（RIL） in the EP and GL groups, were significantly higher than those in other groups. Additionally, differences in the histological structure of the liver and anterior intestine were also observed among different dietary groups. The hepatic nuclei were displaced to the periphery by lipid inclusions in fish fed RF. The highest levels of mucosal folds were found in the anterior intestines of fish fed macroalgae. Digestive enzyme activity profiles showed obvious fluctuations in the first three weeks, and then leveled off in the following weeks. The levels of protease, lipase and α-amylase in the alimentary tract showed changes related to the levels of dietary protein, lipid and carbohydrate, respectively.Although macroalgae significantly inhibited the activity of protease in the stomach, it increased RIL and the number of mucosal folds in the anterior intestine so as to compensate for the influences on protease activities in the stomach. This study suggests that the digestive tract of rabbitfish can well adapt to different diets, and needs about three weeks to physiologically acclimatize to the nutritional status, thus implying that rabbitfish are somewhat omnivorous.

Co-localization hypothesis:A mechanism for the intrapancreatic activation of digestive enzymes during the early phases of acute pancreatitis

尖锐胰腺炎通常被相信是胰被它通常生产的消化酶在伤害的疾病。当是的不活跃的酶原通常仅仅在入口之上激活进十二指肠，但是在尖锐胰腺炎的早阶段期间，那些酶原变得过早地在胰以内并且，大概激活，大多数胰腺的腺泡房间生产的潜在地有害的消化酶被综合并且藏匿那激活发生在胰腺的腺泡房间以内。为消化酶酶原的细胞内部的激活负责的机制没与必然被阐明，但是根据一个广泛地公认的理论(“合作本地化假设”) ，消化酶酶原被 lysosomal 水疗院激活当酶的二种类型在一样的细胞内部的分隔空间以内变得 co 局部性时，放射激光。这评论集中于在胰腺炎的早阶段期间作为对消化酶激活的解释支持合作本地化假设的有效性的证据。调查结果，在这评论总结了，支持 lysosomal 水疗院的合作本地化与消化酶酶原戏放射激光的结论在允许导致腺泡房间损害和胰腺炎的消化酶的细胞内部的激活的一个关键角色。

Development Study on Some Digestive Enzymes of Takifugu rubripes Larvae and Juvenile

The activities of some digestive enzymes are studied for Takifugu rubripes larvae and juvenile from the first feeding to 27 d after hatching at selected stages of development. The homogenate of whole larvae body is used for enzymatic determination. Activity of acid protease decreases notably during the beginning days after the commencement of completely exogenous feeding and the days before the beginning of the juvenile stage. Alkaline protease specific activity also decreases at metamorphosis. The activities are associated with the morphology of the developing digestive tract. Amylase activity increases before the first feeding, followed by a decreasing and then a rather constant level. Lipase activity remains low during the larvae and juvenile periods. Alkaline phosphatase activity increases gradually. This reflects the development of brush border membranes of enterocytes.

Senna petersiana inhibits key digestive enzymes and modulates dysfunctional enzyme activities in oxidative pancreatic injury

Objective:To evaluate the effect of Senna petersiana leaf extracts on key digestive enzymes and FeSO_(4)-induced oxidative injury.Methods:Dried Senna petersiana leaf powder(60 g)was defatted in n-hexane and then extracted sequentially at room temperature with dichloromethane,methanol,and distilled water.The total phytochemical content of the extracts was estimated using established methods.The in vitro antioxidant,anti-lipase,and antidiabetic activities and the effect of the extracts on intestinal glucose absorption and FeSO_(4)-induced pancreatic oxidative injury were determined using different protocols.Moreover,GC-MS analysis was performed to identify the main compounds of the plant extract.Molecular docking analysis was also carried out to evaluate the binding energy of compounds with digestive enzymes.Results:Senna petersiana leaf extracts showed significant antioxidant activities in FRAP,DPPH,and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays.They also inhibited pancreatic lipase and lowered intestinal glucose absorption by suppressing activities ofα-amylase andα-glucosidase.Treatment with the extracts also lowered lipid peroxidation(malondialdehyde),nitric oxide level,acetylcholinesterase,and ATPase activities with simultaneous improvement of antioxidant(catalase,superoxide dismutase,glutathione)capacity in the type 2 diabetes model of oxidative pancreatic injury.GC-MS characterization of the extracts revealed the presence of stilbenoids,alkaloids,and other compounds.Molecular docking screening assay indicated the extract phytochemicals showed strong interaction with the active site amino acids of the targeted digestive enzymes.Among the Senna petersiana compounds,veratramine had the highest affinity forα-amylase and lipase,whereas dihydrostilbestrol was most attracted toα-glucosidase.Conclusions:Senna petersiana inhibits carbohydrate digestive enzymes,reduces intestinal glucose absorption,and exerts ameliorative effects on FeSO_(4)-induced oxidative pancreatic injury with significant antioxidant capabilities.Detailed in vivo studies are underway to understand the plant's therapeutic potential in diabetes management.

Effect of digestive enzymes and pH on variation of bioavailability of green tea during simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion

To exam ine the effect of digestive attributes such as digestive enzymes and pH on changes in phenolic compound content and antioxidant activity during digestion,the bioavailability of green tea infusion was investigated using a simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion model.The total polyphenol content(TPC)decreased to 65%–70%throughout the mimicked normal digestion(MD)compared to the initial value.The total flavonoid content(TFC)decreased to approximately 25%after starting the gastric stage(pH 1.2);however,it regained to approximately 60%in the intestinal stage(pH 6.8).The mimicked digestive condition without digestive enzymes(WOE),which followed only the pH conditions of MD,showed significantly lower TPC and TFC values than MD.The percentage of antioxidant activity based on the initial values indexed by DPPH,ABTS,and FRAP gradually declined from approximately 60%at the gastric stage to approximately 40%at the final digestion stage.Meanwhile,the percentage of residual MIC was around 50%at the gastric stage.However,it gradually increased at the intestinal stage.The significantly lower antioxidant activity showed for WOE than MD throughout the simulated digestion.This study demonstrated that digestive enzymes and pH play a crucial role in the bioavailability of green tea infusion.

Effects of different levels of sweet potato in feeds on body composition and digestive enzymes activities of A postichopus japonicas Selenka

The aim of this study was to test the ef fects of including sweet potato tuber and stem powder in feed on the body composition and digestive enzyme activities of the sea cucumber A postichopus japonicas Selenka. Dif ferent proportions of sweet potato tuber and stem powders(from 10% to 50%) were added into compound feeds, which were supplied to A. japonicas during a 60-day experiment. The results showed that the two sweet potato ingredients had different eff ects on the nutrient contents of the sea cucumber body wall. The group supplied with feed containing 20% sweet potato tuber powder(T2) had the highest level of crude protein in body walls(P <0.05), while there were no significant dif ferences in the moisture and ash contents of body walls among the groups(P >0.05). In all the groups fed with powdered sweet potato tubers(T groups), the proportions of glutamic acid and lysine in body walls were higher than those in the control, whereas the proportion of methionine decreased slightly. Diff erent proportions of sweet potato ingredients in compound feeds also af fected digestive enzyme activities in the sea cucumbers. The activities of protease and lipase first increased and then gradually decreased with increasing proportions of sweet potato materials in the feed. The highest protease activity was in the T2 and the group and the highest lipase activity was in the 10% sweet potato stem(S1) group. These results show that feed components can stimulate digestive enzyme activities in sea cucumber, and that the proportions of tubers and stems of sweet potato in feed can be adjusted to improve the digestion and growth of A. japonicas in marine farms.

Effects of dietary supplementation of probiotic,Clostridium butyricum,on growth performance,immune response,intestinal barrier function,and digestive enzyme activity in broiler chickens challenged with Escherichia coli K88

Background： Colibacillosis caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coil （E. coil} results in economic losses in the poultry industry. Antibiotics are usually used to control colibacillosis, however, E. coli has varying degrees of resistance to different antibiotics. Therefore the use of probiotics is becoming accepted as an alternative to antibiotics. In this study, we evaluated the effects of Clostfidium butyricum （C. butyficum） on growth performance, immune response, intestinal barrier function, and digestive enzyme activity in broiler chickens challenged with Eschefichia coli （E. coil） K88. Methods： The chickens were randomly divided into four treatment groups for 28 days. Negative control treatment （NC） consisted of birds fed a basal diet without E. coil K88 challenge and positive control treatment （PC） consisted of birds fed a basal diet and challenged with E. coil K88. C. buO/ricum probiotic treatment （CB） consisted of birds fed a diet containing 2 x 107 cfu C. buO/ricum/kg of diet and challenged with E. coil K88. Colistin sulfate antibiotic treatment （CS） consisted of birds fed a diet containing 20 mg colistin sulfate/kg of diet and challenged with E. coil K88. Results： The body weight （BW） and average day gain （ADG） in the broilers of CB group were higher （P 〈 0.05） than the broilers in the PC group overall except the ADG in the 14-21 d post-challenge. The birds in CB treatment had higher （P 〈 0.05） concentration of tumor necrosis factor-a （TNF-a） at 3 and 7 d post-challenge, and higher （P 〈 0.05） concentration of interleukin-4 （IL-4） at 14 d post-challenge than those in the PC treatment group. The concentration of serum endotoxin in CB birds was lower （P 〈 0.05） at 21 d post-challenge, and the concentrations of serum diamine oxidase in CB birds were lower （P 〈 0.05） at 14 and 21 d post-challenge than in PC birds. Birds in CB treatment group had higher （P 〈 0.05） jejunum villi height than those in PC, NC, or CS treatment at 7, 14, and 21 d post-challenge. In comparison to PC birds, the CB birds had lower （P 〈 0.05） jejunum crypt depth during the whole experiment. The birds in CB or CS treatment group had higher （P 〈 0.05） activities of amylase and protease at 3, 7, and 14 d post-challenge, and higher （P 〈 0.05） activity of lipase at 3, 7 d post-challenge than PC birds.

Responses of Detoxifying, Antioxidant and Digestive Enzyme Activities to Host Shift of Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

The polyphagous B-biotype of Bemisia tabaci （Gennadius） has demonstrated a high capacity to adapt to numerous hosts from diverse plant families. To illustrate induced responses by the host plant, biochemical research on eight plant-insect interaction correlative enzymes, representing detoxifying, antioxidant and digestive pathways, were investigated. Transferring whitefly adults to Zhongmian 23 from the pre-adapted host Zhongmian 41 induced activities of carboxylesterase （by 1.80-fold）, glutathione S-transferase （by 3.79-fold）, proteinase （by 1.62-fold） and amylase （by 2.41-fold） activities, hut decreased polyphenol oxidase （by 1.89-fold） and peroxidase （by 1.88-fold）. However, transferring whitefly adults to the favorite host abutilon from Zhongmian 41 was associated with increased activities of cytochrome P450 monooxygenase （by 1.61-fold） and amylase （by 1.42-fold）, and decreased activities of polyphenol oxidase （by 2.96-fold） and peroxidase （by 2.07-fold）. Our results, together with previous studies, proved that multiple pathways are involved in coping with host shifts by polyphagous herbivores, and the taxonomic status and preference of the host transferred would affect which pathway would be induced. These results would represent a key challenge in developing long-term sustainable insect control strategies.

Effects of soybean meal replacement with fermented alfalfa meal on the growth performance,serum antioxidant functions,digestive enzyme activities,and cecal microflora of geese

Fermented forages are important feedstuffs. Bacillus subtilis inoculants are often used to improve the value of forage legume fermentation. The present work was conducted to study the effects of replacing soybean meal with solid-state fermented alfalfa meal（FAM） with B. subtilis ACCC 01746 on growth performance, serum antioxidant and digestive enzyme activities, and cecal microflora in goose. 300 healthy geese with similar body weights were randomly assigned to six treatment groups with five replicates of 10 geese（five males and five females） each. Geese were fed ad libitum for 35 days. Results showed that the geese fed with 4 and 8% FAM exhibited no significant effects on their final body weights（FBW） and average day gain（ADG）（P〉0.05）, whereas 12% or higher FAM caused poor growth of the geese compared with control diet（linear（L）： P〈0.05）. The average daily feed intake（ADFI）（quadratic（Q）： P〈0.05） and feed conversion ratio（FCR）（L： P〈0.05） with 8% or higher supplementation level were higher than those of the control group. The activities of antioxidant enzyme in serum increased, and the level of malondialdehyde（MDA） significantly decreased with increasing dietary FAM level（L： P〈0.05）. However, no significant differences were observed at 8% or lower supplementation level for glutathione peroxidase（GSH-Px） and superoxide dismutase（SOD）（P〉0.05） and at 4% for catalase（CAT） supplementation level compared with the control group. All diets containing FAM increased digestive enzyme activities in geese. However, geese fed diets with 12% FAM supplementation showed the highest trypsin activities in pancreas（Q： P〈0.05）. Supplementation with 12% or higher FAM significantly increased amylase activities in pancreas（L： P〈0.05） and duodenum（L： P〈0.05） compared with the control group. Significant differences were not observed in total anaerobic bacteria between geese fed with FAM and control diets on day 35（P〉0.05）. The numbers of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in the cecum of geese fed with FAM significantly increased（L： P〈0.05）, but no significant effects were found with 4 and 8% FAM supplementation levels compared with the control（P〉0.05）. By contrast, the coliform counts of cecum decreased with increasing inclusion of FAM, but these counts were significantly reduced in geese fed diets with 12% or higher FAM supplementation level（L： P〈0.05）. Collectively, our results indicated that supplementation of the basal geese diet with 8% FAM had no apparent adverse effects on growth performance, serum antioxidant enzyme activities, and digestive parameters and beneficial microbiota.

Effect of synbiotics on intestinal microflora and digestive enzyme activities in rats

AIM: To investigate the effect of synbiotics, i.e. probiotics and prebiotics mixture, on the gut microbial ecology and digestive enzyme activities in rats. METHODS: Forty-eight SD rats weighing about 280 g were used in this study. Rats were divided into three groups according to the contents of probiotics and prebiotics mixture in the feed as control, low and high dose groups. The duration of the experiment was 8 wk. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, thefecal Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium counts were significantly increased and the fecal Coliform organism counts were markedly reduced in the low and high dose groups. Concerning the digestive enzyme activity of jejunum, only lactase activity increased in low dose group. However, significant increase of lipase, lactase, sucrase, and isomaltase activities were observed in high dose group.CONCLUSION: Intake of low and high dosages of probiotics and prebiotics mixture significantly improved the ecosystem of the intestinal tract by increasing the probiotics population and digestive enzyme activities in rats.

Effects of Dietary Stachyose on Growth Performance, Digestive Enzyme Activities and Intestinal Morphology of Juvenile Turbot(Scophthalmus maximus L)

A 12-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary stachyose on the growth performance, digestive enzymes activities and intestinal structures of juvenile turbot(Scophthalmus maximus L). Five isonitrogenous(49.58% crude protein) and isolipidic(10.50% crude lipid) diets were formulated to contain 0(Control), 0.625%(S-0.625), 1.25%(S-1.25), 2.5%(S-2.5) and 5%(S-5) stachyose, respectively. With the increase of stachyose level, the growth performance and feed utilization of turbot, such as the specific growth rate, final mean body weight, weight gain rate and feed efficiency, increased significantly(P < 0.05) and then stabilized. The feed intake of fish fed S-5 was significantly higher(P < 0.05) than that of fish in other groups. The activities of trypsin, intestinal caseinolytic, stomach and intestinal amylase were significantly influenced by stachyose(P < 0.05). The highest values of trypsin and intestinal caseinolytic activities were observed in group S-1.25, while the highest activity of stomach amylase and the lowest activity of intestine amylase were observed in group S-5. No lesion or damage was found on the distal intestine structures of fish from all treatments, while the height of simple folds in the distal intestine was significantly increased(P< 0.05) when 1.25% or 2.5% stachyose was added in the diets. These results indicated that moderate level of stachyose(1.25%) improves the growth performance, feed utilization, digestive enzyme activities and the distal intestine structures of juvenile turbot.

Influence of Probiotics on the Growth and Digestive Enzyme Activity of White Pacific Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

The influence of Bacillus probiotics on the digestive enzyme activity and the growth of Litopenaeus vannamei were de- termined in this study. The shrimp was treated with five percentages (1.5, 3.0, 4.5, 6.0 and 7.5) of probiotics (Bacillus spp.) supple- mented to the feed and cultured for 45 d. The growth measured as the weight gain at the end of culturing was significantly (P<0.05) higher in probiotic-treated shrimps than that of the control (without receiving probiotics). Activities of protease and amylase, two digestive enzymes of the midgut gland and the intestine were significantly (P<0.05) higher in probiotic-treated shrimp than in the control.