Dietary supplementation of sodium butyrate enhances lactation performance by promoting nutrient digestion and mammary gland development in dairy cows

This experiment was to evaluate the influence of sodium butyrate(SB)addition on milk production,ruminal fermentation,nutrient digestion,and the development and metabolism regulation of the mammary gland in dairy cows.Forty Holstein dairy cows averaging 710±18.5 kg body weight,72.8±3.66 d in milk(DIM),and 41.4±1.42 kg/d milk production were divided into four treatments blocked by DIM and milk production.Treatments were control group,low SB,medium SB,and high SB with 0,100,200 and 300 g/d of SB addition per cow,respectively.The study lasted for 105 d.Production of milk,milk protein and lactose quadratically increased(P<0.05),while fat-corrected milk,energycorrected milk and milk fat yields linearly increased(P<0.05)with increasing SB addition.The digestibility of dietary dry matter,organic matter,and crude protein linearly increased(P<0.05),whereas the digestibility of ether extract,neutral detergent fibre,and acid detergent fibre quadratically increased(P<0.05).Ruminal pH quadratically decreased(P=0.04),while total volatile fatty acids(VFA)quadratically increased(P=0.03)with increasing SB addition.The acetic acid to propionic acid ratio increased(P=0.03)linearly due to the unaltered acetic acid molar percentage and a linear decrease in propionic acid molar percentage.Ruminal enzymatic activity of carboxymethyl-cellulase and a-amylase,populations of total bacteria,total anaerobic fungi,total protozoa,Ruminococcus albus,R.flavefaciens,Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens,Fibrobacter succinogenes,and Ruminobacter amylophilus linearly increased(P<0.05).Blood glucose,urea nitrogen,and non-esterified fatty acids linearly decreased(P<0.05),while total protein concentration linearly increased(P=0.04).Moreover,the addition of SB at 200 g/d promoted(P<0.05)mRNA and protein expression of PPARγ,SREBF1,ACACA,FASN,SCD,CCNA2,CCND1,PCNA,Bcl-2,GPR41,and the ratios of p-Akt/Akt and p-mTOR/mTOR,but decreased(P<0.05)mRNA and protein expressions of Bax,caspase-3,and caspase-9.The results suggest that milk production and milk fat synthesis increased with SB addition by stimulating rumen fermentation,nutrient digestion,gene and protein expressions concerned with milk fat synthesis and mammary gland development.

Maternal Bisphenol B Exposure and Mammary Gland Development of Offspring:A Time-Series Analysis

Breast cancer incidence has increased and become the world’s most prevalent cancer,which is related to abnormal development of mammary glands and thought to be influenced by environment endocrine disruptors such as bisphenol A(BPA).However,whether its substitution,bisphenol B(BPB),has similar effects remains a concern.In the present study,a maternal exposure model of ICR mice combined time-series RNA-seq analysis was established to explore the underlying correlation among maternal BPB exposure(300μg/kg body weight),mammary gland development,and long-term breast health in offspring.The results showed that BPB exposure disrupted hormonal homeostasis of the female offspring but did not affect the branch development of mammary glands in a time-dependent manner.However,at postnatal day 90(PND90),BPB exposure resulted in duct dilatation,lobular hyperplasia,and inflammatory cell infiltration and increased the number of hormone receptor-expressing(HR+)luminal cells in offspring.Further,the differentially expressed genes in time-series analysis of RNA-seq for mammary glands of the female offspring were enriched in the morphogenesis of branching structures,branching epithelium,and branching morphogenesis of epithelial tubes,which are always considered gland development.Interestingly,the results of RNA-seq also suggested that progesterone receptor(Pgr)mRNA expression in the BPB group was elevated at PND90,and breast cancer related genes such as GATA binding protein 3(Gata3)and epidermal growth factor receptor(Egfr)were also altered.These findings suggested that maternal BPB exposure did not accelerate mammary gland development or lead to obvious morphological anomalies of offspring,but it induced pathological changes and altered cancer related gene expression in adult offspring breast.

The Effect of Administration of Rutin on Plasma Levels of Estrogen, Prolactin, Growth Hormone and Gene Expression of Their Receptors in Mammary Glands in Ovariectomized Rats

The development of mammary glands, endocrine hormone concentrations and the gene expression of related receptors were measured in ovariectomized virgin rats after adminstration of an estrogen-like plant extract, rutin. Thirty-two ovariectomized virgin Wistar rats were randomly assigned to 4 treatments with 8 animals each： gastric infusion of 2 mL normal saline per unovariectomized rat per day （Sham）, gastric infusion of 2 mL normal saline per ovariectomized rat per day （Ova）, gastric infusion of 60 mg rutin kg-1 body weight （BW） per ovariectomized rat per day （Ova＋Rut）, or intramuscular injection of 60 ug estradiol kg-1 BW per ovariectomized rat weekly （Ova＋Est）. Samples of blood and mammary glands were harvested to determine the levels of estrogen （E2）, prolactin （PRL） and growth hormone （GH）, and the gene expression of estrogen receptors （ER）, prolactin receptors （PRLR） and growth hormone receptors （GHR） with radioimmunoassy （RIA） and RT-PCR technology, respectively. The E2 concentration in plasma and gland tissues from the rats of Ovx＋Rut or Ovx＋Est was higher than that of Ovx （P〈0.05）, but the plasma E2 concentration from the rats of Ovx＋Rut was lower than that of Sham （P〈0.05）. The order of the PRL concentration in plasma and gland tissues was Ovx〈Ovx＋Rut〈Ovx＋Est 〈Sham, and the difference in each treatment （P〈0.05）. The plasma GH concentration was lower in Ovx than in Ovx＋Rut or Ovx＋Est, and lower in Ovx＋Rut than in Sham （P〈0.05）. The GH concentration in gland tissues was lower in Ovx than in Ovx＋Rut or Ovx＋Est （P〈0.05）, and lower in Ovx＋Rut than in Sham （P〈0.05）. The gene expression of ER in gland tissues was increased in an order as Ovx〈Ovx＋Rut〈Ovx＋Est〈Sham （P〈0.05）, and PRLR, GHR showed the same trend. In conclusion, adminstration of rutin increased the E2 concentration in plasma and mammary glands, promoted pituitary PRL and GH release, up-regulated the gene expression of ER, PRLR and GHR, and stimulated mammary development in ovariectomized virgin rats.