Iron is an important metal element involved in the regulation of male reproductive functions and has dual effects on testicular tissue. A moderate iron content is necessary to maintain testosterone synthesis and spermatogenesis. Iron overload can lead to male reproductive dysfunction by triggering testicular oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and even testicular ferroptosis. Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of cell death that is characterized by iron overload, lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial damage, and glutathione peroxidase depletion. This review summarizes the regulatory mechanism of ferroptosis and the research progress on testicular ferroptosis caused by endogenous and exogenous toxicants. The purpose of the present review is to provide a theoretical basis for the relationship between ferroptosis and male reproductive function. Some toxic substances or danger signals can cause male reproductive dysfunction by inducing testicular ferroptosis. It is crucial to deeply explore the testicular ferroptosis mechanism, which will help further elucidate the molecular mechanism of male reproductive dysfunction. It is worth noting that ferroptosis does not exist alone but rather coexists with other forms of cell death (such as apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagic death). Alleviating ferroptosis alone may not completely reverse male reproductive dysfunction caused by various risk factors.

T-2 toxin, the most toxic type A trichothecene mycotoxin, is produced by Fusarium, and is widely found in contaminated feed and stored grains. T-2 toxin is physicochemically stable and is challenging to eradicate from contaminated feed and cereal, resulting in food contamination that is inescapable and poses a major hazard to both human and animal health, according to the World Health Organization. Oxidative stress is the upstream cause of all pathogenic variables, and is the primary mechanism through which T-2 toxin causes poisoning. Nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) also plays a crucial part in oxidative stress, iron metabolism and mitochondrial homeostasis. The major ideas and emerging trends in future study are comprehensively discussed in this review, along with research progress and the molecular mechanism of Nrf2’s involvement in the toxicity impact brought on by T-2 toxin. This paper could provide a theoretical foundation for elucidating how Nrf2 reduces oxidative damage caused by T-2 toxin, and a theoretical reference for exploring target drugs to alleviate T-2 toxin toxicity with Nrf2 molecules.

Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common zoonotic diseases in the world. Felines excrete Toxoplasma gondii oocysts, which play a key role in the transmission of this protozoon. Pathological diagnoses were performed on four carcasses of captive tigers collected from 2019 to 2021 in China, and T. gondii was surveyed using serology, molecular analysis, and aetiology. Striated muscle samples of the tigers (n = 4) were bioassayed in mice. DNA derived from T. gondii tachyzoites was isolated and characterized using PCR–RFLP. The pathological diagnoses revealed that ageing, declined immune function, liver, and kidney failures caused the deaths in the tigers examined. A modified agglutination test (cut–off: 1:25) revealed that IgG antibodies to T. gondii were 100% (4/4) in the captive tigers. Two viable T. gondii strains (TgTigerCHn3 and TgTigerCHn4) were isolated from tiger striated muscles and seeded on the Vero cell culture for further propagation. The genotypes of TgTigerCHn3 and TgTigerCHn4 were ToxoDB#20 and ToxoDB#2, respectively. The two strains were avirulent for Swiss mice, which matched the ROP18 and ROP5 gene alleles of TgtigerCHn3 (3/4) and TgtigerCHn4 (3/3). Few brain tissue cysts (0–213) were observed in the mice after inoculation with TgTigerCHn3 and TgTigerCHn4. This is the first documented isolation of T. gondii ToxoDB#20 and ToxoDB#2 from tigers. The results provide additional direct evidence of tiger as intermediate hosts for T. gondii. Tigers in the zoos may potentially transmit T. gondii to other animals and humans.

Yucca has abundant amounts of polyphenolics, steroidal saponins, and resveratrol and its extract can be used as a feed additive in the animal husbandry, which might contribute to the improvement in the growth and productivity in rabbit production. Hence, the current study aimed to examine the effects of yucca extract alone and in combination with Clostridium butyricum (C. butyricum) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, muscle quality, and intestinal development of weaned rabbits. A total of 400 40-day-old male rabbits were randomly divided into 4 treatment groups for 40 days: (1) basal diet group, (2) basal diet contained 300 mg/kg of yucca extract, (3) basal diet supplemented with 0.4 × 10¹⁰ colony-forming units (CFU)/kg of C. butyricum, and (4) the blend of 0.4 × 10¹⁰/kg CFU of C. butyricum and 300 mg/kg of yucca extract. The supplementation of yucca extract or C. butyricum increased body weight (BW) of rabbits depending on the age, the combined addition of yucca extract and C. butyricum significantly increased BW, weight gain, and feed intake, companying with increased the digestibility of crud protein, fiber, phosphorous, and calcium as compared to control diet (P < 0.05). Furthermore, yucca extract and C. butyricum treatment alone and in combination notably increased the villus high and the ratio of villus high to crypt depth of rabbits (P < 0.05). The combined supplementation of yucca extract and C. butyricum altered the intestinal microbiota of rabbits, as demonstrated by increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria Ruminococcaceae and decreased the proportion of pathogenic bacteria such as Pseudomonadaceae and S24-7. In addition, the rabbits fed the diet with yucca extract and the blend of yucca extract and C. butyricum had significantly increased pH_45min, decreased pressing loss, drip loss, and shears force when compared with rabbits received control diet (P < 0.05). Diet with C. butyricum or its mixture with yucca extract increased the fat content of meat, while the combined addition of yucca extract and C. butyricum declined the content of fiber in meat (P < 0.05). Collectively, the combined use of yucca extract and C. butyricum showed better results on growth performance and meat quality, which might be closely associated with the improved intestinal development and cecal microflora of the rabbits.

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan that can infect humans and other animals, including cattle. Cattle are one of the world’s main sources of meat, and people who consume raw or undercooked meat and milk of cattle infected with T. gondii can become infected. In this study, a total of 5292 dairy cattle serum samples, collected from 17 cities (Henan Province, China) from January 2015 to September 2017, were screened for antibodies against T. gondii. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 1.93% (102/5292) (95% CI, 1.56–2.30) of dairy cattle using a modified agglutination test (cut-off 1:100). The results showed that geographic location and season may be risk factors for T. gondii infection of cattle (P < 0.05), and the seroprevalence of T. gondii in cattle along the Yellow River is higher than other areas. This is the first large-scale investigation on the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in cattle from Central China. This survey shows that the T. gondii infection rate of dairy cattle is low; however, these findings provide additional information on the epidemiology of Chinese T. gondii. The possibility of dairy cattle exposure to T. gondii in Central China can not be ignored, and the consumption of raw or undercooked beef or milk may pose a risk to human health.

Background: Toxoplasma gondii can infect almost all warm-blooded animals, including humans and dogs. Humans can become infected with T. gondii by petting dogs that have eaten or contacted infected cat feces. The aim of this study was to evaluate T. gondii infections in dogs from central China. From 2015 to 2021, a total of 536 dog samples (195 fecal, 81 hearts, and 260 serum samples) from Henan Province were collected. Heart juice or serum samples (n = 341) were tested for T. gondii antibodies using the modified agglutination test (MAT). Fresh myocardium (n = 6) and blood (n = 2) samples were bioassayed in mice.Results: The present study showed that 4.40% (15/341) of the dogs were seropositive for T. gondii by MAT (cut-off, 1:25) and 4.10% (8/195) of dog feces contained T. gondii DNA. No T. gondii DNA was found in any myocardium (n = 81) or blood (n = 2) samples. The viable T. gondii strain was not isolated from any myocardium or blood samples (n = 8). Compared to the prevalence of T. gondii antibodies in dogs sampled from 2015 to 2018, the prevalence significantly declined from 2020 to 2021 (P < 0.05). Gender and age were not risk factors for dogs infected with T. gondii in this study. However, compared to other sources, dogs from Zhoukou City (close to the Yellow River) or from pet shops showed significantly higher prevalence for T. gondii (P < 0.05).Conclusion: A total of 4.29% dogs were infected by T. gondii (23/536, 8 of 195 fecal samples, 2 of 260 serum, and 13 of 81 heart juice samples). This is the first survey of T. gondii infection in dog feces from China. Dogs were exposed to T. gondii, and they could act as mechanical transmitters of T. gondii.