Black soldier fly and yellow mealworm live larvae for broiler chickens: Effects on bird performance and health status     

Sara Bellezza Oddon  Ilaria Biasato  Arianna Imarisio  Miha Pipan  Dominik Dekleva  Elena Colombino  Maria Teresa Capucchio  Marco Meneguz  Stefania Bergagna  Raffaella Barbero  Marta Gariglio  Sihem Dabbou  Edoardo Fiorilla  Laura Gasco  Achille Schiavone 《Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition》2021,105(Z1):10-18

The commercial broiler chicken strains are the result of successful selection programmes. Most of the problems related to welfare arise from the high growth rate and body weight. The use of environmental enrichments in intensive farming could have a positive effect on birds by increasing animal welfare. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of Hermetia illucens (HI) and Tenebrio molitor (TM) live larvae in the diets of broiler chickens on growth performance, carcass yield and health status. A total of 180 four-day-old male broiler chickens (Ross 308) were randomly allotted to 18 pens. Each pen was assigned to one of the three dietary treatments (6 replicates/treatment, 10 birds/replicate) as follows: (i) control diet (C): commercial feed (two feeding phases: starter [4–11 days] and grower [12–38 days]), (ii) HI: C + 5% of the expected daily feed intake (DFI) HI live larvae (calculated on dry matter [DM]) and (iii) TM: C + 5% of DFI TM live larvae (DM). At 39 days of age, birds were slaughtered. Growth performance parameters were overall not affected by dietary treatments, except for the grower phase feed conversion ratio (FCR) and the overall FCR being better in the TM broilers than the others (p < 0.01). No differences were observed for slaughtering performance and haematological and serum parameters, except for the spleen relative weight being higher (p < 0.01) in the birds administered with larvae when compared to the C group. Gut morphometric indexes and histopathological alterations were not influenced by insect larvae administration. In conclusion, the administration in limited quantities of HI and TM live larvae as environmental enrichment has no negative effects on broiler chicken growth performance and health status. A behavioural study could confirm that live insect larvae represent a novel natural environmental enrichment in broiler farming.  相似文献   

Alcohol diluent provides the optimal formulation for calcium chloride non-surgical sterilization in dogs     

Raffaella Leoci  Giulio Aiudi  Fabio Silvestre  Elaine A Lissner  Giovanni M Lacalandra 《Acta veterinaria Scandinavica》2014,56(1)

Background

Surgical castration is widely used to sterilize male dogs, but has significant impacts on time to perform the operation, recovery of the animals as well as cost, which can limit population control programs. Previous research has shown intratesticular injection of calcium chloride dihydrate (CaCl₂) in saline to be a promising alternative to surgery. However, long-term azoospermia was not maintained at dosages low enough to avoid side effects. In the search for an optimized formulation, the current investigation is the first study on long-term sterilization effects of intratesticular injection of CaCl₂ in either lidocaine solution or alcohol in dogs. CaCl₂ at 20% concentration in lidocaine solution or alcohol was administered via intratesticular injection to groups of 21 dogs each. The treated animals were examined at 2, 6, and 12 months for sperm production, blood levels of testosterone, and side effects; at time zero and 12 months for testicular size and semen volume. The experimentally treated animals were compared to a control group receiving saline injection only.

Results

Testicles of dogs treated with CaCl₂ in either diluent significantly decreased in size. After administration of CaCl₂ in lidocaine solution, sterility was achieved for at least 12 months in 75% of treated dogs. However, optimal long-term contraceptive effectiveness was achieved with CaCl₂ in alcohol, which resulted in azoospermia over the 12-month study period. Testosterone levels significantly decreased following treatment with CaCl₂, and sexual activity disappeared. Although testosterone returned to baseline levels by 12 months for the group treated with CaCl₂ in lidocaine, dogs injected with CaCl₂ in alcohol had a 63.6% drop in testosterone level, which remained at the low end of physiological range throughout the study. No adverse effects were noted.

Conclusions

A single, bilateral intratesticular injection of 20% CaCl₂ in 95% ethanol was a reliable method for induction of sterilization in 18–28 kg male dogs in this study. The approach showed long-term efficacy and reduced sexual behavior. This chemical method of sterilization might provide an effective, efficient alternative to surgical castration that can have positive impacts on dog welfare.  相似文献   

In vitro enantioselective pharmacodynamics of Carprofen and Flunixin‐meglumine in feedlot cattle     

M. Miciletta  B. Cuniberti  R. Barbero  G. Re 《Journal of veterinary pharmacology and therapeutics》2014,37(1):43-52

The activity of the anti‐inflammatory agents Flunixin‐meglumine (FLU), RS (±) Carprofen (CPF) and S (+) CPF on bovine cyclooxygenases (COXs) has been characterized in feedlot calves using an in vitro whole blood model. The drugs showed equivalent efficacy in their inhibitory activity on COXs, and the rank order of potency for both COX‐1 and COX‐2 inhibition was FLU > S (+) CPF > RS (±) CPF. Our results indicated that FLU is a nonselective inhibitor of bovine COXs, whereas RS (±) CPF and S (+) CPF exhibited different degrees of preferential inhibition of COX‐2 isoenzyme. The rank order of IC₅₀ COX‐1: IC₅₀ COX‐2 potency ratios was in fact S (+) CPF (51.882) > RS (±) CPF (13.964) > FLU (0.606), and the calculated percentage inhibition of COX‐1 corresponding to COX‐2 inhibition values comprised between 80% and 95% was comprised between 57.697 and 79.865 for FLU, 33.373 and 51.319 for RS (±) CPF, and 0.230 and 4.622 for S (+) CPF, respectively. These findings are discussed in relation to the prediction of the clinical relevance of COX inhibition by the test drugs in cattle.  相似文献   

Spray-drying Microencapsulation of an Extract from Tilia tomentosa Moench Flowers: Physicochemical Characterization and in Vitro Intestinal Activity     

Mainente  Federica  Piovan  Anna  Zanoni  Francesca  Chignola  Roberto  Cerantola  Silvia  Faggin  Sofia  Giron  Maria Cecilia  Filippini  Raffaella  Seraglia  Roberta  Zoccatelli  Gianni 《Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands)》2022,77(3):467-473

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Silver linden (Tilia tomentosa Moench, TtM) flowers possess several health-promoting properties, especially at the neurological level, such as intestinal...  相似文献   

Antioxidant properties of low molecular weight phenols present in the mediterranean diet     

Briante R  Febbraio F  Nucci R 《Journal of agricultural and food chemistry》2003,51(24):6975-6981

The antioxidant capacity of low molecular weight phenols found in olive fruit and in virgin olive oil has been investigated. The radical scavenging activity of some of the investigated phenols is higher than that of the most used antioxidants, and among them, 3,4- or 2,5-dihydroxyl phenols are also able to chelate copper ions leading to chelates that are only slightly active in the promotion of free radical reactions. The ability of tested phenols to reduce Cu(II) and their activity-structure relationships was also studied, showing that their reducing capacity is connected to the presence of a specific ligand of the reduced ion. The number of reduced ions per mole of phenol is lower than that calculated for some flavonols and isoflavones so exerting a lower prooxidant action. This fact may be important in vivo when free transition metal ions are involved in oxidation processes.  相似文献   

Oral administration of tepoxalin in the horse: a PK/PD study     

Giorgi M  Cuniberti B  Ye G  Barbero R  Sgorbini M  Vercelli C  Corazza M  Re G 《Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)》2011,190(1):143-149

Tepoxalin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic properties and has been recently introduced into veterinary medicine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) profile of tepoxalin to assess whether it would be suitable for clinical use in horses. Six female fasting/fed horses were given 10mg/kg tepoxalin orally in a cross-over study. After administration, tepoxalin underwent rapid and extensive hydrolytic conversion to its carboxylic acid metabolite RWJ-20142. In animals that had been fed, the plasma concentrations of tepoxalin were undetectable, whereas in fasting animals they were close to the limit of quantification of the method. No differences between the fasting/fed groups in RWJ-20142 plasma concentrations were shown. Tepoxalin showed a strong and long-lasting ex vivo inhibitory activity against cyclooxygenase (COX)-1, mainly due to its main metabolite RWJ-20142. Tepoxalin and RWJ-20142 do not seem to possess either COX-2 or 5-lipoxygenase inhibitory activity in the horse. These features suggest that the drug is a selective COX-1 inhibitor in horses, with no significant anti-inflammatory activity. Thus, its long term use in equine practice could be of concern.  相似文献   

Changes in lymphocyte glucocorticoid and beta-adrenergic receptors in veal calves treated with clenbuterol and steroid hormones for growth-promoting purposes     

Odore R  Badino P  Pagliasso S  Nebbia C  Cuniberti B  Barbero R  Re G 《Journal of veterinary pharmacology and therapeutics》2006,29(2):91-97

In order to identify possible peripheral markers of illegal treatments with growth-promoting agents in veal calves, beta-adrenergic receptor (beta-AR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) concentrations were measured in lymphocytes of 12 male Friesian crossbred calves (six controls and six treated). The animals received a cocktail of anabolic and re-partitioning agents [17beta-oestradiol: 3 x 10 mg intramuscular (i.m.) doses at 17-day intervals; dexamethasone sodium phosphate: 4 mg/day for 6 days and 5 mg/day for six further days dissolved in milk; and clenbuterol: 20 microg/kg/day dissolved in milk for the last 40 days before slaughter]. Blood samples were collected by venipuncture at different time points and lymphocytes were isolated by density gradient centrifugation. Lymphocyte beta-AR and GR levels were measured by binding assays. Treatment with re-partitioning agents caused a significant down-regulation of lymphocyte beta-ARs 19 days after the beginning of clenbuterol administration and at day 55 (after dexamethasone withdrawal, just before slaughter). This phenomenon was partially reversed at day 50, after dexamethasone administration, at which time a significant decrease in GR concentrations also occurred. For both types of receptors, no significant changes in the dissociation constant values were observed at any time point. Lymphocytes express measurable concentrations of beta-ARs and GRs and the measurement of receptor levels highlights the fluctuation of receptor expression due to the dynamic interaction of the drugs used in combination. Lymphocyte receptor determination could therefore be included in a battery of biological assays to detect illegal treatments with anabolic agents in veal calves in the light of a multivariate approach.  相似文献   

Extract from the Zooxanthellate Jellyfish Cotylorhiza tuberculata Modulates Gap Junction Intercellular Communication in Human Cell Cultures     

Antonella Leone  Raffaella Marina Lecci  Miriana Durante  Stefano Piraino 《Marine drugs》2013,11(5):1728-1762

On a global scale, jellyfish populations in coastal marine ecosystems exhibit increasing trends of abundance. High-density outbreaks may directly or indirectly affect human economical and recreational activities, as well as public health. As the interest in biology of marine jellyfish grows, a number of jellyfish metabolites with healthy potential, such as anticancer or antioxidant activities, is increasingly reported. In this study, the Mediterranean “fried egg jellyfish” Cotylorhiza tuberculata (Macri, 1778) has been targeted in the search forputative valuable bioactive compounds. A medusa extract was obtained, fractionated, characterized by HPLC, GC-MS and SDS-PAGE and assayed for its biological activity on breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and human epidermal keratinocytes (HEKa). The composition of the jellyfish extract included photosynthetic pigments, valuable ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acids, and polypeptides derived either from jellyfish tissues and their algal symbionts. Extract fractions showed antioxidant activity and the ability to affect cell viability and intercellular communication mediated by gap junctions (GJIC) differentially in MCF-7and HEKa cells. A significantly higher cytotoxicity and GJIC enhancement in MCF-7 compared to HEKa cells was recorded. A putative action mechanism for the anticancer bioactivity through the modulation of GJIC has been hypothesized and its nutraceutical and pharmaceutical potential was discussed.  相似文献   

Establishment of three‐dimensional canine osteosarcoma cell lines showing vasculogenic mimicry and evaluation of biological properties after treatment with 17‐AAG     

Marcella Massimini  Raffaella De Maria  Daniela Malatesta  Mariarita Romanucci  Angela D'Anselmo  Leonardo Della Salda 《Veterinary and comparative oncology》2019,17(3):376-384

  相似文献   

Identification and characterization of Italian common figs (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ficus carica</Emphasis>) using nuclear microsatellite markers     

Margherita Rodolfi  Tommaso Ganino  Benedetta Chiancone  Raffaella Petruccelli 《Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution》2018,65(5):1337-1348

Common fig (Ficus carica L.) is one of the most ancient domesticated species, originated, supposedly in Arabia, from where it diffused to the Middle East and Asia, and to the Mediterranean basin, where it greatly diffused. More than 600 fig varieties have been described, but it is conceivable that this number is underestimated. Along all the Italian territory, there is a rich germplasm of fig composed of a large number of varieties (approximately 300) of very not well defined origin. Effectively, during several centuries of cultivation and propagation by seed, a large number of genotypes appeared and were selected, leading to the generation of an uncountable number of genotypes, different in numerous traits, particularly in those related to leaves and fruits features. Unfortunately, the extensive existing fig genetic patrimony is facing genetic erosion; for this reason, it is extremely important to study and valorised it, in order to preserve the remaining biodiversity. The purpose of this study was to genetically characterize, with nSSR markers, 79 fig accessions, collected in several areas in Italy. The set of chosen markers resulted highly polymorphic, and allowed the characterization of all the studied accessions. Data were analysed by cluster analysis, and the results demonstrated a great genetic variability within the population. The nSSR used, moreover, allowed us to identify all accessions and to recognised possible homonyms and synonyms, and cases of intravarietal clones.  相似文献