The Beneficial Effect of Brazilian Propolis for Liver Damage through Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress.

There is evidence that propolis exhibits anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antioxidant properties. We assessed the potential beneficial effects of Brazilian propolis on liver injury in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Our findings demonstrate that Brazilian propolis suppresses inflammation and fibrosis in the liver of mice with NAFLD by inhibiting the expression of genes involved in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress.

Chicken Interleukin-5 is Expressed in Splenic Lymphocytes and Affects Antigen-Specific Antibody Production.

Vaccination is important for reducing disease incidence in the poultry industry. To enhance immunity and vaccine efficacy, chicken cytokines associated with antibody production must be identified. In this study, we focused on interleukin-5 (IL-5), involved in antibody production in mice, measuring its expression and effects on antibody production.

Wnt signaling blockade is essential for maintaining the pluripotency of chicken embryonic stem cells.

Activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling supports the self-renewal of mouse embryonic stem cells. We aimed to understand the effects of Wnt signaling activation or inhibition on chicken embryonic stem cells (chESCs), as these effects are largely unknown. When the glycogen synthase kinase-3 β inhibitor CHIR99021-which activates Wnt signaling-was added to chESC cultures, the colony shape flattened, and the expression levels of pluripotency-related (NANOG, SOX2, SOX3, OCT4, LIN28A, DNMT3B, and PRDM14) and germ cell (CVH and DAZL) markers showed a decreasing trend, and the growth of chESCs was inhibited after approximately 7 d.

Two immune-based methods using immortalized porcine kidney macrophages for quantifying neutralizing activity against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus-2.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) causes a serious infectious disease in pigs in farms worldwide. Neutralizing antibody titer is an effective index for evaluating immunity to PRRSV; however, PRRSV has different neutralizing cross-reactivity between strains. Therefore, quantitative measurement of neutralizing antibody titers against field PRRSV strains would be required to evaluate whether neutralizing antibodies in pigs could possess neutralizing activity against individual or multiple strains.

Effects of Probiotics and on the Expression of Toll-like Receptors, Pro- and Anti-inflammatory Cytokines, and Antimicrobial Peptides in Broiler Chick Intestine.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of live probiotics (LR) and (CB) on the expression of genes of innate immune system in broiler chick ileum and cecum. Chicks were administered 500 water with or without LR or CB, daily from day 1 to 6 after hatching. The ileum and cecum were collected on day 7 for analysis of gene expression of Toll-like receptors (TLRs), pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) using real-time PCR.

Effects of Toll-like Receptor Ligands on the Expression of Proinflammatory Cytokines and Avian -defensins in Cultured Chick Intestine.

Few studies have focused on the regulation of cytokine and avian -defensin (AvBDs) expression for promoting immune defense in the avian intestine. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands (bacterial patterns) on the expression of proinflammatory cytokines ( and ) and AvBDs (, and ) in the chick intestine. The ileum and cecum of 3-day-old chicks were collected and examined histologically to identity the cells present in the intestinal mucosa.

Changes in the Expression of Avian -defensins (AvBDs) and Proinflammatory Cytokines and Localization of AvBD2 in the Intestine of Broiler Embryos and Chicks during Growth.

The aim of this study was to determine the changes in the expression of avian -defensins (AvBDs) and proinflammatory cytokines and localization of AvBD2 in the intestine of broiler embryos and chicks during growth. The ileum and cecum of embryonic day 19 (ED19) and of day-old (D0) and 7-day-old (D7) chicks were collected. Gene expression levels of 10 AvBDs (, and ) and proinflammatory cytokines (, and ) were analyzed using real-time PCR, and the localization of AvBD2 was examined by immunohistochemistry.