Publications by authors named "Taranu I"

The present study aimed to investigate the ability of an aqueous extract derived from mustard seed meal to counteract the effects of endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the intestinal epithelium. Caco-2 cells were cultured together with HT29-MTX and used as a cellular model to analyze critical intestinal parameters, such as renewal, integrity, innate immunity, and signaling pathway. Byproducts of mustard seed oil extraction are rich in soluble polysaccharides, proteins, allyl isothiocyanates, and phenolic acids, which are known as powerful antioxidants with antimicrobial and antifungal properties.

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High consumption of ultra-processed foods, rich in sugar and unhealthy fats, has been linked to the onset of numerous chronic diseases. Consequently, there has been a growing shift towards a fiber-rich diet, abundant in fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts, to enhance longevity and quality of life. The primary bioactive components in these plant-based foods are polyphenols, which exert significant effects on modulating the gastrointestinal microbiota through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Tuberous sclerosis is a rare genetic disorder that primarily affects the nervous and cardiovascular systems, making early recognition by pediatricians crucial for managing its cardiovascular issues.
  • - The first cardiac signs in affected children are cardiac rhabdomyomas and arrhythmias, which can be challenging to diagnose due to their varied presentations.
  • - The study aims to equip pediatric practitioners with up-to-date knowledge on cardiovascular complications in tuberous sclerosis, detailing both the prenatal and postnatal progression and the best practices for screening and long-term follow-up.
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Alternariol monomethyl-ether (AME), together with altenuene and alternariol, belongs to the mycotoxins group, which can contaminate different substrates, including cereals. The aim of the present study was to obtain a deeper understanding concerning the effects of AME on pig intestinal health using epithelial intestinal cell lines as the data concerning the possible effects of toxins on swine are scarce and insufficient for assessing the risk represented by toxins for animal health. Our results have shown a dose-related effect on IPEC-1 cell viability, with an IC50 value of 10.

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At weaning, piglets are exposed to a large variety of stressors, from environmental/behavioral factors to nutritional stress. Weaning transition affects the gastrointestinal tract especially, resulting in specific disturbances at the level of intestinal morphology, barrier function and integrity, mucosal immunity and gut microbiota. All these alterations are associated with intestinal inflammation, oxidative stress and perturbation of intracellular signaling pathways.

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Alternariol is a metabolite produced by fungus that can contaminate a variety of food and feed materials. The objective of the present paper was to provide a prediction of Phase I and II metabolites of alternariol and a detailed ADME/Tox profile for alternariol and its metabolites using an in silico working model based on the MetaTox, SwissADME, pKCMS, and PASS online computational programs. A number of 12 metabolites were identified as corresponding to the metabolomic profile of alternariol.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Mycotoxins, toxic compounds from certain fungi, can contaminate animal feed and lead to health issues in livestock and humans consuming their meat; antioxidant-rich plant feeds may help mitigate these effects.
  • - A study examined the impact of mycotoxins aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A on piglets' liver and how grapeseed and sea buckthorn meals as antioxidants could counteract damage over a 30-day feeding period.
  • - Results showed that mycotoxins affect multiple metabolic pathways in piglets, while antioxidants helped restore some protein expressions but could also alter others; further research on proteomics is necessary.
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Oxidative stress is a pivotal factor in the pathogenesis of intestinal inflammation, leading to cellular damage and tissue injury. Natural antioxidants compounds found in agro-industrial by-products have proven their effectiveness in treatment of intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress, exhibiting many favourable effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of a grape seed meal byproduct (GSM) to counteract the effects induced by E.

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Pigs are the most sensitive animal to zearalenone (ZEN) contamination, especially after weaning, with acute deleterious effects on different health parameters. Although recommendations not to exceed 100 µg/kg in piglets feed exists (2006/576/EC), there are no clear regulations concerning the maximum limit in feed for piglets, which means that more investigations are necessary to establish a guidance value. Due to these reasons, the present study aims to investigate if ZEN, at a concentration lower than the EC recommendation for piglets, might affect the microbiota or induce changes in SCFA synthesis and can trigger modifications of nutritional, physiological, and immunological markers in the colon (intestinal integrity through junction protein analysis and local immunity through IgA production).

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Macrophage activation and cytokine release play a pivotal role in inflammation-mediated metabolic disturbances in obesity. The proinflammatory macrophage secretes human chitotriosidase (CHIT1). The expression of the CHIT1 in visceral adipose tissue is associated with cytokine production.

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(1) The present study tested in vitro the capacity of a fermented rapeseed meal extract to reduce medicinal ZnO, which will be banned at the EU level from 2023 onwards because of its potential to cause environmental pollution and the development of Zn resistance in gut bacteria. Rapeseed meal could be an important ZnO substitute as it has antioxidant/radical scavenging properties due to its content of bioactive compounds (e.g.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study evaluated how fermenting rapeseed meal with yeasts affects its nutritional properties for piglets.
  • Fermentation significantly reduced anti-nutritional factors like glucosinolates and isothiocyanate, along with lowering polyphenolic compounds and antioxidant activity.
  • Despite decreases in carbohydrates and organic acids, fermentation increased certain phenolic acids and crude protein content, enhancing the overall nutritive value of the meal for animal feed.
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Childhood obesity progresses to metabolic disturbances via low-grade inflammation. Identifying novel molecules that reflect the activity of the immune responses is critical in understanding its underlying pathogenesis. Our exploratory study aimed to evaluate the change of chitotriosidase (CHIT1) plasma activity according to Body Mass Index (BMI)-for-age z score in pediatric patients.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the combined effects of aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A on protein expression and catalytic activities of CYP1A2, CYP2E1, CYP3A29 and GSTA1 and the preventive effect of dietary byproduct antioxidants administration against these mycotoxin damage. Three experimental groups (E1, E2, E3) and one control group (C) of piglets after weaning (TOPIGS-40 hybrid) were fed with experimental diets for 30 days. A basal diet containing normal compound feed for starter piglets was used as a control treatment and free of mycotoxin.

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Zearalenone (ZEA) is an estrogenic fusariotoxin, being classified as a phytoestrogen, or as a mycoestrogen. ZEA and its metabolites are able to bind to estrogen receptors, 17β-estradiol specific receptors, leading to reproductive disorders which include low fertility, abnormal fetal development, reduced litter size and modification at the level of reproductive hormones especially in female pigs. ZEA has also significant effects on immune response with immunostimulatory or immunosuppressive results.

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Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) are chronic inflammations associated with progressive degradation of intestinal epithelium and impairment of the local innate immune response. Restoring of epithelial integrity and of the mucosal barrier function, together with modulation of inflammatory and innate immune markers, represent targets for alternative strategies in IBD. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of a diet including 8% grape seed meal (GSM), rich in bioactive compounds (polyphenols, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), fiber) on the markers of colonic epithelial integrity, mucosal barrier function, pro-inflammatory, and innate immunity in DSS-treated piglets used as animal models of intestinal inflammation.

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We aimed to investigate the effect of weight status on inflammation-related markers and thyroid function tests in overweight and obese pediatric patients. Children and adolescents diagnosed between January 2017 and January 2019 with overweight or obesity were included in the study. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) were calculated for the groups defined according to Body Mass Index (BMI)-for-age -score: overweight (≥1 BMI-for-age -score), obese (≥2 BMI-for-age -score) and severely obese (≥3 BMI-for-age -score).

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of a byproduct mixture derived from grapeseed and sea buckthorn oil industry to mitigate the harmful damage produced by ochratoxin A and aflatoxin B1 at hepatic and renal level in piglets after weaning. Forty cross-bred TOPIGS-40 hybrid piglets after weaning were assigned to three experimental groups (E1, E2, E3) and one control group (C), and fed with experimental diets for 30 days. The basal diet was served as a control and contained normal compound feed for starter piglets without mycotoxins.

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Introduction: Fasting blood glucose, insulin level, and lipid profile are the minimal tests according to the Romanian guidelines to evaluate obese children. Cross-sectional studies for pediatric obesity in Romania focused only on epidemiology and management.

Aim: Our study aimed to evaluate the metabolic and hormonal changes in association with follow-up bodyweight modifications.

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In this study, eight food by-products were investigated as biosorbent approaches in removing mycotoxin load towards potential dietary inclusion in animal feed. Among these food-derived by-products, grape seed (GSM) and seabuckthorn (SBM) meals showed the most promising binding capacity for Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and Zearalenone (ZEA), measured as percent of adsorbed mycotoxin. Furthermore, we explored the mycotoxin sequestering potential by screening the effect of time, concentration, temperature and pH.

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Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a mycotoxin that frequently contaminates cereals and cereal byproducts. This study investigates the effect of AFB1 on the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) of piglets and evaluates if a diet containing grape seed meal (GSM) can counteract the negative effect of AFB1 on inflammation and oxidative stress. Twenty-four weaned piglets were fed the following diets: Control, AFB1 group (320 μg AFB1/kg feed), GSM group (8% GSM), and AFB1 + GSM group (8% GSM + 320 μg AFB1/kg feed) for 30 days.

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Liver is the earliest target for AFB1 toxicity in both human and animals. In the last decade, plant derived by-products have been used in animal feed to reduce AFB1 induced toxicity. In the present study we investigated whether the presence of 8% grape seed meal by-product is able to counteract the hepatotoxic effects produced by AFB1 in liver of pig after weaning exposed to the toxin through the contaminated feed for 28 days.

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Microbiota affects host health and plays an important role in dysbiosis. The study examined the effect of diet including grape seed meal (GSM) with its mixture of bioactive compounds on the large intestine microbiota and short-chain fatty acid synthesis in weaned piglets treated with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) as a model for inflammatory bowel diseases. Twenty-two piglets were included in four experimental groups based on their diet: control, DSS (1 g/kg/b.

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Phytogenic actives (PA) are plant-derived natural bioactive compounds that may promote livestock health and well-being, as well as improve growth performance and production efficiency. The current study aims to evaluate their effects on sows and their offspring. Eighty-one hyperprolific sows (up to parity 7) were assigned to 3 experimental treatments.

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OTA is a toxic metabolite produced by fungus belonging to Aspergillus and Penicillium genera. Kidney is the main target of this toxin; OTA is considered as one of the etiological factors at the origin of the human Balkan endemic nephropathy. microRNA are short non-coding transcrips (18-22 nucleotides in length) regulating key cellular processes.

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