Veterinary and Animal Science最新文献

{"title":"ProAKAP4 concentration in fresh canine semen and its correlation with motility parameters","authors":"Djemil Bencharif ,&nbsp;Rédha Belala ,&nbsp;Nora Mimoune ,&nbsp;Dolorès Le Couazer ,&nbsp;Hamed Farnia","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100455","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100455","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to evaluate proAKAP4concentrations in canine fresh semen and to determine their correlation with sperm motility and fertility parameters. For this purpose, 26 ejaculates from 18 dogs were analyzed. Motility and kinetic parameters of the sperm-rich fractions were assessed by a computer assisted semen analyzer (Hamilton Thorne HT-IVOS II, USA). ProAKAP4 concentrations were measured (containing either the spermatic, urethral, or prostatic fraction) using the Dog 4MID® kit (4BioDx, France). In the spermatic fractions, on average, the proAKAP4 concentration was 17.08 ng/10⁶spermatozoid (spz) with a total motility of 75.92 % and progressive motility of 58.08 %. Spearman test showed a positive correlation between proAKAP4 concentrations and the total motility (r = 0.584; p = 0.08), progressive motility (r = 0.6336; p = 0.0005), and the velocity parameters: VAP (r = 0.4178; p = 0.0337), VSL (r = 0.3919; p = 0.0477) and mainly VCL (r = 0.5266; p = 0.0057). For fertility monitoring, 5 ejaculates were used to perform artificial insemination (AI). The mean proAKAP4 concentration was 25.91 ng/10⁶spz with an average total motility of 74.4 % and progressive motility of 53 %. Four female dogs were pregnant with litter sizes ranging from 4 to 11 puppies. To conclude, this is the first study presenting the significant correlation between proAKAP4 concentration and sperm motility parameters in dogs. Further investigations with a large number of animals are recommended to test the correlation between proAKAP4 and fertility parameters.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100455"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143869075","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Preslaughter practices, pork physicochemical attributes and fatty acid profiles of pigs raised and slaughtered on smallholder urban farms in the Cape Metropole, South Africa","authors":"Rebecca M. Mathobela ,&nbsp;Obert C. Chikwanha ,&nbsp;Chenaimoyo L.F. Katiyatiya ,&nbsp;Farouk Semwogerere ,&nbsp;Annelin H. Molotsi ,&nbsp;Munyaradzi C. Marufu ,&nbsp;Phillip E. Strydom ,&nbsp;Cletos Mapiye","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100454","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100454","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pre-slaughter practices, pork physicochemical quality, and fatty acid (FA) composition of 36 Landrace barrows aged six months, sourced from five smallholder urban farms (SUFs) in low-income, high-density suburbs and one commercial abattoir in Cape Metropole District, South Africa were evaluated. Pigs on SUFs were fed three diets: (1) kitchen-bakery-vegetable waste-based, (2) bakery-dairy waste-based, or (3) homemade grain-based, while those on a large-scale farm were fed a commercial diet. Pigs on SUFs were either stunned mechanically or not stunned before slaughter. The SUFs either practiced throat or cervical spine sticking during slaughter. Carcasses from pigs fed the homemade grain-based diet had higher (<em>P</em> ≤ 0.05) weights, ash subcutaneous and intramuscular fat (IMF) values than those fed the other diets. The homemade grain-based diet, throat sticking treatment produced pork with the highest pH₄₅ followed by the bakery-dairy waste-based diet, throat sticking and kitchen-bakery-vegetable waste-based diet, cervical spine treatments (<em>P</em> ≤ 0.05). Pigs fed a commercial diet and slaughtered by throat sticking produced pork with the lower (<em>P</em> ≤ 0.05) values for pH₂₄, colour coordinates (L*, a*, b*, H° and C°) and the higher (<em>P</em> ≤ 0.05) carcass temperature and shear force values relative to the other treatments. Pork from pigs fed the homemade grain-based diets had higher (<em>P</em> ≤ 0.05) contents of total FA, total PUFA, individual and total <em>n</em>-6 PUFA than pork from pigs fed the other diets. Pig carcasses stunned with a gun had higher (<em>P</em> ≤ 0.05) pH₄₅, pH₂₄ and shear force values than those not stunned. The homemade grain-based diet improved carcass attributes and fatty acid profiles of pigs raised and slaughtered on SUFs, stunning enhanced pork physical quality attributes while the kitchen-bakery-vegetable waste-based diet, cervical spine sticking treatment produced less desirable pork physical attributes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100454"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143847366","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Different sources of fat in starter and its effect on growth performance, blood parameters and immune system of calves","authors":"Hamid Paya ,&nbsp;Mojtaba Hosseinzadeh ,&nbsp;Akbar Taghizadeh ,&nbsp;Ali Hosseinkhani ,&nbsp;Karim Hasanpur ,&nbsp;Maghsoud Besharati ,&nbsp;Valiollah Palangi ,&nbsp;Mehri Montazer Harzand ,&nbsp;Maximilian Lackner","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100451","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100451","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Calf rearing from birth to weaning is a critical and sensitive period in dairy farming, as it determines the future of a herd. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of different fat sources on growth performance, immune response and rumen and blood parameters in suckling calves. Forty female Holstein calves (average weight 40 kg, body score 3) were studied from birth to weaning (3 to 75 days). A completely randomized design with 4 treatments (10 replicates each) was used: i) control (no fat source), ii) coconut oil (2 % saturated fat), iii) flaxseed oil (2 % linoleic acid), and iv) safflower oil (2 % linoleic acid). Calf performance was evaluated weekly and feces were examined daily. Rumen parameters (volatile fatty acids and pH), blood parameters (glucose, protein, urea and cholesterol) and immune response (white and red blood cells and immunoglobulin G) were assessed at the end of the trial. According to the results, the highest feed intake after 10 weeks was recorded in the safflower oil treatment, which differed significantly from the control treatment (p &lt; 0.05). The highest weight gain of calves fed diets containing unsaturated fats was observed in the 8th, 9th and 10th weeks, which was significantly higher than in the control and treatment containing coconut oil (p &lt; 0.05). The height of experimental calves was affected by fats, except in the 1st and 2nd weeks. The experimental treatments were not significantly different in terms of fecal scores during the entire experimental period (p &gt; 0.05). The effect of the experimental treatments was not significantly dependent on the pH of the calves' rumen fluid during the experimental period. The total volatile fatty acid content was significantly affected by the treatment (p &lt; 0.01) at the end of the experimental period. Blood parameters (glucose, protein and urea), red blood cells and immunoglobulin G of the calves were significantly affected by the treatment (p &lt; 0.05). The results of this study show that the use of different fat sources, especially those with unsaturated fatty acids containing linoleic and linolenic acid, in the starter diet of calves improved growth performance, immune response and rumen/blood parameters in female Holstein calves compared to the other groups.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100451"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143828728","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of paeoniflorin dietary supplementation on growth performance, antioxidant status, blood parameters, carcass characteristics and meat quality in broiler chickens","authors":"Yefei Zhou ,&nbsp;Cunyi Qiu ,&nbsp;Zhiding Zhou ,&nbsp;Dunlin Zhang ,&nbsp;Yao Cai ,&nbsp;Jun Yuan ,&nbsp;Shanguo Mao","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100450","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100450","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Paeonia lactiflora Pall, known for its antioxidative and anti-apoptotic properties, is a traditional Chinese medicine. To address the growing demand for animal protein, large-scale commercial broiler production systems often induce excessive stress responses in chickens, impacting their performance and immune function. This study examined the effects of adding paeoniflorin at doses of 150, 300, and 450 mg/kg to broiler diets on antioxidant activities, blood biochemical parameters, carcass characteristics, and meat quality. The results showed that different levels of paeoniflorin significantly enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzyme in serum and liver, and decreased in malondialdehyde level both in serum and meat tissue compared with basal diet broilers (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Paeoniflorin supplementation markedly decreased levels of creatinine, uric acid, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, total cholesterol, and triglycerides (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Diets containing different levels of paeoniflorin significantly increased the eviscerated yield percentage of birds and reduced abdominal fat (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Furthermore, paeoniflorin supplementation notably enhanced the redness and reduced the yellowness of pectoral and thigh muscles, while also significantly decreasing drip and cooking loss in the pectoral muscle (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Although the levels of crude protein, ether extract, and crude ash in the pectoral and thigh muscles did not significantly vary between treatments (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05), paeoniflorin significantly increased the nucleotide 5′-monophosphate content in meat muscles (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Therefore, the data suggest that paeoniflorin can be an effective natural feed additive for broiler diets, with an optimal dosage of 150–300 mg/kg.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100450"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143816733","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Circulating microRNA profiles are associated with acute pain and stress in castrated and tail docked lambs","authors":"Ryan J. Farr ,&nbsp;Christopher Cowled ,&nbsp;Carlos Rodrigues ,&nbsp;Christina L. Rootes ,&nbsp;Dana L.M. Campbell ,&nbsp;Caroline Lee ,&nbsp;Cameron R. Stewart ,&nbsp;Danila Marini","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100445","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100445","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Maintaining animal welfare is an essential component of animal production systems. However, multiple measurements are required to inform an animal's welfare state as there are currently no universal measurement tools. Novel biomarkers are increasingly being explored as measures of stress, pain and disease status in livestock. Here we investigate host-encoded microRNAs (miRNAs) as biomarkers of stress and pain to determine the welfare of Australian Merino sheep (<em>Ovis aries</em>) following castration and tail-docking. This study used samples from a retrospective trial that compared the effectiveness of pain-relief given to lambs following castration and tail-docking. Plasma collected from lambs at 0 h and 30 mins that received no pain relief post treatment were investigated. Over 1100 novel miRNAs were identified from deep sequencing of small RNA isolated from serum samples. Altered expression of 18 miRNAs was observed in lambs post-castration and tail-docking, of which one miRNA (oar-miR-1–3p) was previously characterised. A supervised machine learning model identified a five-miRNA signature that classified post-castrated and tail-docked sheep from pre-treatment with 99% accuracy. This study describes the characterisation of circulating miRNAs in Merino sheep and demonstrates that miRNAs may have utility for objective measures of animal welfare status in relation to pain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100445"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143767813","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antibiotic use and residue detection in guinea fowl eggs in rural Togo: An assessment of practices and risks","authors":"Priscilla Bèlè Tcheou ,&nbsp;Andre Pouwedeou Bedekelabou ,&nbsp;Benjamin Adjei-Mensah ,&nbsp;Cocou Claude Kpomasse ,&nbsp;Essodina Talaki ,&nbsp;Mounerou Salou","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100448","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100448","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Various classes of antibiotics are used to treat guinea fowl diseases in rural Togo. The aim of this study was to assess antibiotic treatment practices and detect the presence of antibiotic residues in eggs from guinea fowl farms in the Savannah region of Togo. The study involved direct interviews using a questionnaire administered to 87 farmers in the Oti, Tone and Tandjoare prefectures, using the Kobocollect tool. Qualitative analysis of the presence of antibiotic residues in guinea fowl eggs was carried out using the Premi®Test collected from farmers. Data were presented as relative frequencies using Excel software and logistic regression analysis and Chi-square test were performed to ascertain positive associations. The minority of farmers (1.15 %) were under the care of a veterinarian, while 87.36 % practiced self-medication and did not respect the prescribed doses of antibiotics, and 11.49 % had no supervision. All the farmers surveyed use plants for therapeutic purposes, without any real knowledge of the correct dosage. Additionally, 56.66 % of farmers did not respect the withdrawal period before guinea fowl eggs are consumed or placed on the market. Furthermore, 49.43 % (Chi-square statistic = 14.92; dof = 2; <em>P</em> = 0.00058) of guinea fowl egg samples analyzed contained antibiotic residues. Biosecurity and confinement were positively associated with the presence of antibiotic residues in eggs. The study reveals inappropriate use of antibiotics by guinea fowl farmers in the Savannah region of Togo, leading to the presence of antibiotic residues in the eggs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100448"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143850646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Concentrate supplementation during dry season enhance milk yield and quality on dromedary camel in peri urban area of Isiolo, Kenya","authors":"Cyrila I. Lusala ,&nbsp;James G. Kirimi ,&nbsp;Levi M. Musalia ,&nbsp;Florence K. Thiakunu","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100446","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100446","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Camel milk contributes 50 % of nutrients among the desert locals in Kenya. However, frequent droughts due to climate change is the major factor affecting milk production in dromedary camels. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of concentrates supplementation on camel milk yield and quality during dry season. A feed supplement containing 17.04 % crude protein and 2864.62 Kcal/kg digestible energy was formulated using wheat bran, sorghum grain, sunflower meal and maize germ. A feeding trial was conducted with four dietary treatments i.e. ad libitum fodder browsing without concentrate supplementation (treatment 1-control) and ad libitum fodder browsing plus 1 kg, 1.5 kg and 2 kg concentrate for treatment 2, 3 and 4 respectively. A 4 × 4 Latin square design was used with eight lactating dromedary camels for 56 days and were supplemented every evening. Milking was done in the morning and milk yield recorded. Body weight and milk samples were taken fortnightly. Milk samples were analyzed for constituents and fatty acid composition. Supplementation slightly increased the protein, fat content and milk yield over the experimental period. Milk protein content for treatment 2 and 4 were similar (2.82 %). Adding 2 kg of concentrate displayed higher milk fat content (3.51 %). Total saturated fatty acids in milk were higher (68.13 %) in treatment 2. Unsaturated fatty acids remained relatively constant under all the treatments (29.9 %). Milk proximate and fatty acid profile indicated stable milk composition and supplementation increased yield. Therefore, supplementing lactating camels during dry season increase milk production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100446"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143696743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ultrasound monitoring of corpus luteum morphological evolution and serum progesterone concentration in pregnant and non-pregnant dogs: A prospective, observational study","authors":"Alessandra Paganotto,&nbsp;Camille Langlade,&nbsp;Samuel Buff,&nbsp;Émilie Rosset","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100444","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100444","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The corpus luteum is the only structure producing progesterone during pregnancy in dogs. The aim of this study was to characterise morphological changes of corpora lutea in the bitch and assess their relationship with body weight, serum progesterone concentration, and multiple resorptions. We monitored 26 bitches weekly from ovulation confirmation to 35 days post-ovulation, measuring the corpora lutea diameter via ultrasound examination in combination with progesterone assays. The pregnancy rate was 80.7% (21/26), and all pregnancies were carried to term. Dogs were classified into small (5–15 kg), medium (16–39 kg), and large breeds (40–65 kg). Dog weight significantly influenced mean luteal diameter (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001), which ranged from a mean ± SD of 3.4 ± 0.5 mm for small dogs to 6.0 ± 0.7 mm for large dogs on the day of ovulation confirmation. From ovulation confirmation to peak, corpora lutea grew significantly (2.1 ± 1.2 mm; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) and returned to their initial size by day 35. Surprisingly, one-third of maximum corpora lutea exceeded 1 cm before undergoing subsequent physiological diametric reduction. This growth in luteal diameter was positively correlated with serum progesterone concentration (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). This study provides novel findings on canine corpus luteum characteristics, not previously described in literature, which could aid ovulation detection and differentiation between physiological and potentially pathological structures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100444"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143683149","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modeling growth curve parameters in Peruvian llamas using a Bayesian approach","authors":"Ali William Canaza-Cayo ,&nbsp;Rubén Herberth Mamani-Cato ,&nbsp;Roxana Churata-Huacani ,&nbsp;Francisco Halley Rodríguez-Huanca ,&nbsp;Maribel Calsin-Cari ,&nbsp;Ferdynand Marcos Huacani-Pacori ,&nbsp;Oscar Efrain Cardenas Minaya ,&nbsp;Júlio Sílvio de Sousa Bueno Filho","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100447","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100447","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The objective of this study was to fit four nonlinear models (Brody, von Bertalanffy, Gompertz and Logistic) to realizations of llama weight, using frequentist and Bayesian approaches. Animals from both sexes and types (K'ara and Ch'accu) were observed. Data consisted of 43,332 monthly body weight records, taken from birth to 12 months of age from 3611 llamas, collected from 1998 to 2017 in the Quimsachata Experimental Station of the Instituto Nacional de Innovación Agraria (INIA) in Peru. Parameters for Non-linear models for growth curves were estimated by frequentist and Bayesian procedures. The MCMC method using the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm with noninformative prior distributions was applied in the Bayesian approach. All non-linear functions closely fitted actual body weight measurements, while the Brody function provided the best fit in both frequentist and Bayesian approaches in describing the growth data of llamas. The analysis revealed that female llamas reached higher asymptotic weights than males, and K'ara-type llamas exhibited higher asymptotic weights compared to Ch'accu-type animals. The asymptotic body weight, estimated for all data using the Brody model, was 42 kg at 12 months of age in llamas from Peru. The results of this research highlight the potential of applying nonlinear functions to model the weight-age relationship in llamas using a Bayesian approach. However, limitations include the use of historical data, which may not fully represent current growth patterns, and the reliance on non-informative priors, which could be improved with prior knowledge. Future studies should refine these aspects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100447"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143746792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Network pharmacology and experimental validation of Compound Kushen Powder for the treatment of diarrhea in vivo","authors":"Bo Yu ,&nbsp;Yuanfeng Zhao ,&nbsp;Lingling Jiang ,&nbsp;Jingrui Zhou ,&nbsp;Haoxiang Xu ,&nbsp;Lu Lei ,&nbsp;Longxin Xu ,&nbsp;Xin Wang ,&nbsp;Shijin Bu","doi":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100443","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.vas.2025.100443","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To explore the mechanism of sophora flavescens, cortex fraxini, and pomegranate peel complex powder (Compound Kushen Powder) in the treatment of animal diarrhea, a network pharmacology approach leveraging databases like TCMSP and SwissTarget was applied in this study. Molecular docking was executed between the primary constituents and pivotal targets, enabling an additional refinement of main targets and key medications. Subsequently, a rat diarrhea model induced by folium sennae leaves was established for in vivo validation. The rats were divided into four groups: negative control group, positive control group, positive drug treatment group, and Compound Kushen Powder treatment group. Key protein targets, such as Caspase-3, IL-1β, IL-10, MMP9, STAT3, TNF, TP53, and VEGFA, essential for mitigating diarrhea in response to the composite medication were found through network pharmacology. Additionally, the results of molecular docking analysis unveiled fundamental constituents of Compound Kushen Powder, namely beta-sitosterol, ursolic acid, formononetin, and matrine, which demonstrated significant binding affinities with those identified key protein targets. The results of mRNA and protein expression analyses of rat colonic tissue validated the in vivo alterations of core genes identified through network screening. Except for IL-10 and STAT3, the expression of all targets exhibited noteworthy reductions when compared to the positive control group (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). These results demonstrated that Compound Kushen Powder can inhibit inflammation and regulate cell apoptosis by modulating signaling pathways such as IL-17, TNF-α, MAPK, and NF-κB. Collectively, this study sheds light on the traditional application of complex powder for the prevention and treatment of diarrhea.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37152,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Science","volume":"28 ","pages":"Article 100443"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143645127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}