A xylanase derived from rumen ciliates designated as XynC, was successfully expressed and purified. The enzyme's catalytic properties, including its optimal pH (5.5) and temperature (40 °C), were determined, demonstrating high stability under mildly acidic and moderate thermal conditions. The substrate specificity of XynC was investigated by analyzing its hydrolysis pattern with beechwood xylan, where it preferentially degraded higher xylo-oligosaccharides (xylotetrose (X4), xylopentose (X5), xylohexose (X6)) while showing no activity on smaller oligosaccharides like xylobiose (X2) and xylotriose (X3). The in vivo effects of XynC on gut microbiota were evaluated by administering the enzyme to mice, followed by analysis of fecal 16S rRNA to assess shifts in gut bacterial populations. The results revealed dose-dependent modulation of gut microbiota composition, with a significant increase in Lactobacillus abundance observed in the medium- and high-dose groups, while no notable change was detected in the low-dose group. These dose-related microbial responses suggest that the efficacy of XynC in promoting probiotic growth is dependent on administration level. These findings suggest that XynC selectively promotes the growth of beneficial probiotics in a dosage-sensitive manner, supporting its potential as a functional feed additive for enhancing gut health and nutrient utilization in livestock.

Oxidative stress poses a significant challenge in livestock production, impairing intestinal function, nutrient absorption, and overall animal performance. Uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) is a mitochondrial regulator known for its protective effects against oxidative damage, but its specific function in porcine intestinal epithelial cells and its regulation by genipin—a natural UCP2 inhibitor with potential therapeutic properties—remains unclear. In this study, we cloned and overexpressed the porcine UCP2 gene in intestinal porcine epithelial cells (IPEC-J2), generating a stable UCP2-overexpressing cell line (IPEC-J2-UCP2). Under hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress, UCP2 overexpression significantly improved cell viability, reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, GPx, and CAT). Additionally, UCP2 upregulated the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2 and downregulated pro-apoptotic genes (Fas, Caspase-3, and Bax), indicating a protective role against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. We also investigated the regulatory effects of genipin on UCP2. Under non-stress conditions, genipin mildly promoted anti-apoptotic gene expression. However, under oxidative stress, genipin strongly inhibited UCP2 expression, exacerbated ROS accumulation, reduced cell viability, and increased expression of pro-apoptotic markers, particularly Caspase-3 and Bax. These findings reveal that UCP2 plays a critical role in protecting porcine intestinal epithelial cells from oxidative injury and that genipin exerts context-dependent effects on cell fate by modulating UCP2. This study provides a mechanistic basis for targeting UCP2 to manage oxidative stress and improve intestinal health and performance in pigs.

The rhizoma of Fagopyrum dibotrys (D. Don) Hara, a traditional natural medicinal herb with extensive historical applications in China, pos s e s s anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory and antidiabetic effects. However, the potential positive effects of Fagopyrum dibotrys rhizoma meal (FDRM) on productive performance in high-density laying duck farming remain unclear. This experiment was conducted to assess the impacts of FDRM supplementation in Shanma laying ducks diet by determining productive performance, egg quality, egg nutritional value and serum biochemical parameters. With similar laying performance ( 80.88 ± 5.17 % ) and body weight (1.24 ± 0.02 kg) , 512 healthy 32-week-old Shanma laying ducks were randomly assigned to 4 groups consisting of 8 replicates (16 ducks per replicate). Ducks in the control group (F0 group) were fed only the basal diet, while the other groups (F1, F2 and F3 groups) were fed the basal diets supplemented with 1%, 2% and 3% FDRM, respectively. The experiment lasted for 49 days with ad libitum access to feed and water. Our results showed that supplementing FDRM in duck diet had no adverse effects on laying performance (P>0.05). Additionally, compared with the control group, d iet ary supplementation with FDRM significantly improved the shell strength, yolk color and shell proportion (P<0.05), while increasing the serum total protein (TP) content (P<0.05). The study also found that adding 2%. FDRM significantly enhanced the contents of total amino acids, essential amino acids and umami amino acids in eggs (P<0.05), improved the composition of monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids (P<0.05), and reducing the saturated fatty acids content. However, 3% FDRM addition increased the serum blood urea nitrogen content (P<0.05), indicating reduced the dietary protein utilization efficiency. Overall, dietary supplementation with 2% FDRM might improved egg quality and egg nutritional value of Shanma laying ducks through improving the shell strength, yolk color and shell proportion, enhancing yolk fatty acid and amino acid profiles and e levating serum TP content.