Jiafa Hou

Simultaneous determination of major type B trichothecenes and deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside in animal feed and raw materials using improved DSPE combined with LC-MS/MS.

A simple and reliable method for simultaneous determination of deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside and major type B trichothecenes (deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, fusarenon X, 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol, 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol and deepoxy-deoxynivalenol) in animal feed and raw materials has been developed and validated in this study. The method was based on an improved dispersive solid-phase extraction (DSPE) followed by analysis using high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Also, matrix-matched calibration curve (R(2)>0.99) was employed to minimize matrix effects and ensure accurate quantification. The recoveries during sample preparation process (including extraction and clean-up) ranged from 79.03% to 118.39%, with intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviation lower than 20% for all the analytes. The limit of quantification ranged from 5.0 μg/kg for deoxynivalenol to 13.6 μg/kg for fusarenon X. The validated method was successfully applied to the analysis of animal feed and corn. The pilot study showed that 37 out of 41 samples were contaminated with deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside at the levels of 6.0-121.0 μg/kg. Most of the type B trichothecenes were also found with the exception of fusarenon X, at the contaminated levels of 10.0-1,382 μg/kg. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first scientific report on the co-occurrence of masked deoxynivalenol and type B trichothecenes in animal feed and raw materials.

Multi-mycotoxin analysis of animal feed and animal-derived food using LC–MS/MS system with timed and highly selective reaction monitoring

AbstractMycotoxins have the potential to enter the human food chain through carry-over of contaminants from feed into animal-derived products. The objective of the study was to develop a reliable and sensitive method for the analysis of 30 mycotoxins in animal feed and animal-derived food (meat, edible animal tissues, and milk) using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). In the study, three extraction procedures, as well as various cleanup procedures, were evaluated to select the most suitable sample preparation procedure for different sample matrices. In addition, timed and highly selective reaction monitoring on LC–MS/MS was used to filter out isobaric matrix interferences. The performance characteristics (linearity, sensitivity, recovery, precision, and specificity) of the method were determined according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC and 401/2006/EC. The established method was successfully applied to screening of mycotoxins in animal feed and animal-derived food. The results indicated that mycotoxin contamination in feed directly influenced the presence of mycotoxin in animal-derived food. Graphical abstractMulti-mycotoxin analysis of animal feed and animal-derived food using LC-MS/MS

Determination of trichothecenes A (T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, and diacetoxyscirpenol) in the tissues of broilers using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry.

A stable and sensitive method has been developed for use in food and livestock product safety for the detection of mycotoxins. This newly developed method allows for the determination of T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin and diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS) in heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, Glandular stomach, muscular stomach, small intestine, muscle, bone and brain samples from broilers using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The samples were initially extracted with ethyl acetate before being filtered through a 0.22μm nylon syringe filter and subjected to chromatographic separation on a reversed-phase C18 (50×2.1mm, 3μm) column. A mobile phase composed of 0.1% acetic acid and 10mM ammonium acetate in methanol and water was used in an assay of the levels of T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin and DAS. For the analysis of the target compounds, the mass spectrometer was operated under positive electrospray ionization conditions in the selected reaction monitoring mode. The limit of detection was in the range of 0.02-0.05ng/g, whereas the limit of quantification was in the range of 0.08-0.15ng/g. The extraction recoveries of spiked samples from the high, intermediate and low levels ranged from 58.5% to 110.5%, and the relative standard deviation (RSD (%)) values were less than 17.0%. The results of inter- and intra-day precision (RSD (%)) were within 14.7%. The results revealed that the present method could be successfully applied to the analysis of T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin and DAS in the real samples.

Expression of TRPV6 and CaBP-D28k in the egg shell gland (uterus) during the oviposition cycle of the laying hen

1. The aim of this study was to investigate the localisation of the transient receptor potential vanilloid channel type 6 (TRPV6) in egg shell gland (ESG) and examine the dynamic expression of TRPV6 and Calbindin-d28k (CaBP-D28k), as well as the changes in concentration of total calcium (Ca), total inorganic phosphorus (P), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitonin (CT) in plasma during the oviposition cycle. 2. The plasma ALP activity was notably increased at 8 h. In addition, plasma CT was highest at 0 h and significantly lower at 8 h. The change of plasma PTH concentration increased slightly post-oviposition and reached a maximum at 16 h. 3. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated that TRPV6 was strongly localised to the apical luminal epithelium of the mucosa. The mRNA levels of TRPV6 and CaBP-D28k in the ESG remained very low from 0 to 4.5 h, but were significantly increased at 16 h. Furthermore, Western blotting analysis showed that the expression of TRPV6 and CaBP-D28k also reached a maximum at 16 h and was different from the concentration of CaBP-D28k. 4. In conclusion, the epithelial Ca2+ channel TRPV6 is strongly expressed in the epithelial cells of the eggshell gland, and the increase of TRPV6 and CaBP-D28k mRNA and protein expression during eggshell formation suggests that active Ca2+ transcellular transport exerts significant effects in delivering active calcium in the ESG.

Chicken Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-κB Ligand Induces Formation of Chicken Osteoclasts from Bone Marrow Cells and also Directly Activates Mature Osteoclasts

Receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL), which functions as a major determinant of osteoclast differentiation and activation, is a type II transmembrane protein and is expressed in osteoblasts-stromal cells. The aim of this study was to clarify the role of chicken RANKL (chRANKL) in chicken osteoclast differentiation and to determine its effect on mature chicken osteoclasts. In the present study, chRANKL protein was first cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. We then treated chicken bone marrow cells with chRANKL protein and found that it induced the formation of chicken osteoclast-like multinucleated cells in a dose-dependent manner in the presence of human macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Moreover, the addition of chicken osteoprotegerin could block the effect of chRANKL with regard to osteoclast-like multi-nucleated cell formation and bone resorption. Using primary cultures of chicken osteoclasts on bone slices, we also found that bone resorption pits per cell increased with chRANKL concentration in a dose-dependent manner. The chRANKL-treated hens exhibited increased blood Ca(++) levels within 2 h after injection, showing that chRANKL also activates osteoclasts in vivo. These results clearly indicate that the expressed protein is functional and may also be a critical factor for chicken osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption.

Large-scale preparation and multi-dimensional characterization of high-purity mycotoxin deoxynivalenol in rice culture inoculated with Fusarium graminearum

Food safety monitoring and toxicological research of mycotoxins are still in need of large quantities of high-purity deoxynivalenol (DON). To attain this purpose, a rapid, economical and reproducible purification method was developed for large-scale production of DON from rice culture inoculated with a DON-producing Fusarium graminearum strain JYH. The inoculated rice culture was first extracted with acetonitrile–water (84/16, v/v). The extracts were evaporated to dryness on a rotary evaporator after ethyl acetate partitioning and then dissolved in water followed by the final purification procedure through preparative high performance liquid chromatography and montmorillonite treatment. A combined approach of ultraviolet spectrometry (UV), ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC), mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was applied for the multi-dimensional characterization of the target compound. As a result, the recovery of DON from the crude extract to the final product was up to 70%. An amount of 150 mg DON with the desirable purity of 98.93% could be obtained from 100 g of rice culture, which possessed identical immunochemical characteristics compared to a certified commercial DON standard. This proposed strategy might act as a valuable reference to obtain rather expensive compounds in a straightforward way.

Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of chicken osteocalcin and its use in evaluation of perch effects on bone remodeling in caged White Leghorns

Osteocalcin (OC) is a sensitive biochemical marker for evaluating bone turnover in mammals. The role of avian OC is less clear because of the need for a chicken assay. Our objectives were to develop an assay using indirect competitive ELISA for detecting chicken serum OC and use the assay to examine the effects of perches on bone remodeling in caged hens. Anti-chicken OC polyclonal antibody was produced by immunization of rabbits with a recombinant OC from Escherichia coli. Chicken OC extracted from bone was used as a coated protein, and purified chicken OC was used for calibration. The limit of detection of the developed OC ELISA was 0.13 ng/mL. The intra- and interassay CV were <7 and <12%, respectively. The sensitivity of the developed OC ELISA was compared with a commercial Rat-Mid OC ELISA in laying hens housed in conventional cages with or without perches. Serum samples were collected from 71-wk-old White Leghorn hens subjected to 4 treatments. Treatment 1 was control chickens that never had access to perches during their life cycle. Treatment 2 chickens had perches during the pullet phase (0 to 16.9 wk of age), whereas treatment 3 chickens had perches only during the egg-laying phase of the life cycle (17 to 71 wk of age). Treatment 4 chickens always had access to perches (0 to 71 wk of age). Correlation between the 2 assays was 0.62 (P < 0.0001). Levels of serum OC using the developed chicken ELISA were higher than that detected using the Rat-Mid ELISA (P < 0.0001). Results from the chicken ELISA assay showed that hens with perch access had higher concentrations of serum OC than hens without perches during egg laying (P = 0.04). Pullet access to perches did not affect serum OC levels in 71-wk-old hens (P = 0.15). In conclusion, a chicken OC ELISA has been validated that is sensitive and accurate with adequate discriminatory power for measuring bone remodeling in chickens.

Toxicity induced by F. poae-contaminated feed and the protective effect of Montmorillonite supplementation in broilers

The T-2 and HT-2 toxins, the main metabolites of Fusarium poae, induce toxicity in broilers and accumulate in tissues. Consequently, during the breeding process of broilers, diets are frequently supplemented with physical adsorbents to protect birds against the toxicity induced by mycotoxins. In the present research, T-2 and HT-2 were produced in maize inoculated with F. poae. Mont, the strongest adsorbent based on in vitro adsorption ratios, was added to the contaminated diet. One-day-old chickens were randomly and equally divided into the following four groups: control diet group, Mont supplemented diet group, contaminated diet group and detoxification diet group. The experiment lasted for 42 days. Compared to the control group, the contaminated group showed significant decrease in body weight, feed intake and TP (P < 0.05), and marked increase in FCR, ALP, AST and ALT activity, T-2/HT-2 residues in the tissues and the relative expressions of apoptosis-related mRNAs (P < 0.05). Mont supplementation provided protection for the treated broilers in terms of performance, blood biochemistry, hepatic function, T-2/HT-2 residue of tissues and apoptosis. Therefore, Mont may be suitable as a detoxification agent for T-2/HT-2 in feed for broilers.

Effects of age and dietary soybean oil level on eggshell quality, bone strength and blood biochemistry in laying hens

Abstract 1. The objective of the study was to investigate the differences in eggshell quality, bone quality and serum bone biochemistry markers associated with changes in age and dietary soybean oil levels in laying hens. 2. A total of 54, 19-week-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens were housed in 18 battery cages (3 birds/cage) and randomly divided into three diet treatments for 90 d: control-fat (CF, 1.9% soybean oil), moderate-fat (MF, 7% soybean oil) and high-fat (HF, 10% soybean oil). 3. The hens’ body weights (BW), egg production, egg weights, eggshell thickness and femoral diameter were higher at d 90 than at d 60 or d 30. Meanwhile, feed intake, relative bone weights, all bone strength parameters and serum Ca were lower at d 90 or 60 than at d 30. 4. Compared to the CF hens, the feed intake, BW, abdominal fat pad weights and serum alkaline phosphatase activity were elevated in MF or HF hens. The eggshell thickness, relative femoral and tibial weight, femoral stiffness, femoral modulus, tibial mixed force and serum calcium and phosphorus levels were lower in MF or HF hens than CF hens. 5. These findings suggest that bone loss in caged hens starts from an early stage of the laying period, and dietary oil (particularly with diets over 10% soybean oil) has harmful effects on eggshell quality, bone strength and bone mineralisation from an early stage of the laying period.

A new preparative method for simultaneous purification of ochratoxin A and ochratoxin B from wheat culture inoculated with Aspergillus ochraceus

Ochratoxins are a mycotoxin family frequently found in agricultural commodities worldwide and pose a potential health risk to humans and animals. To obtain large amounts of high-purity ochratoxins for food safety monitoring and toxicological research, a novel and effective method was established for simultaneous purification of ochratoxin A (OTA) and ochratoxin B (OTB) from a wheat culture inoculated with an ochratoxin-producing Aspergillus strain. The inoculated wheat culture was first extracted with methanol:water (80:20, v/v), followed by one or two cleanup procedures involving acid-assisted liquid-liquid extraction and gel permeation chromatography. Subsequently, target analytes were separated and collected using preparative high performance liquid chromatography. Finally, a combined approach of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography, ultraviolet spectrophotometry and mass spectrometry was applied for purity analysis and structural identification of the obtained toxins. As a result, 100 g of an inoculated wheat culture yielded 69 mg of OTA and 6 mg of OTB with purities greater than 98%. This proposed method might serve as a valuable reference to obtain expensive ochratoxin standards. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on simultaneous preparation of OTA and OTB from artificially inoculated wheat culture.