Stanisław Milewski

Distribution of the Cocaine and Amphetamine - Regulated Transcript (Cart) and Calcium Binding Proteins Immunoreactivity in the Preoptic Area of the Ram

Abstract The aim of the study was to describe the distribution of cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) and calcium binding proteins (CaBPs) of EF-hand family, namely calbindin, calretinin, and parvalbumin in the preoptic area (POA) of the ram. Frozen sections were processed for a routine immunofluorescence labelling. CART, calbindin, and calretinin immunoreactivity was present in neurons and fibers of the preoptic area, whereas parvalbumin showed immunoreactivity only in the POA fibers. CART displayed from a moderate to low immunoreactivity in cells and a high immunoreactivity in fibers. The highest immunoreactivity of all studied CaBPs exhibited calbindin, whereas the lowest parvalbumin. The results of the present study suggest that among the studied CaBPs, calbindin is the most likely to be involved in the participation of the important regulatory functions in the ram’s POA and the rich CART innervation seems to be strictly related to its control of the reproduction.

The effects of supplementing diets fed to pregnant and lactating ewes with Saccharomyces cerevisiae dried yeast

* Correspondence: katarzyna.zabek@uwm.edu.pl

Effect of Yeast Supplements On Selected Health-Promoting Properties of Lamb Meat

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the effect of yeast preparations on selected properties of meat from suckling lambs. The experiment was conducted on 30 Kamieniec rams divided into three groups: I - control, II and III - experimental. Throughout the 100-day rearing period, the experimental animals were fed diets supplemented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae prebiotics: Inter Yeast S® brewers yeast in group II, and Biolex®-Beta S in group III. Fat content was determined by Soxhlet extraction. The fatty acid composition of intramuscular fat was determined by esterification followed by gas chromatography analysis. The content of vitamins A and E was determined by liquid chromatography. A significant increase in the content of fat, cholesterol, and vitamin E was noted in the meat of lambs of group II in comparison with control. The fat of animals in group II contained more fatty acids: C14:1, C18:2, C22:6 (P≤0.05), and C18:2 n-6 cis9trans11 (P≤0.01), and less C20:4 (P≤0.01). The fat of animals of group III contained more C18:0 and C22:6 fatty acids (P≤0.05), and less C18:0 (P≤0.05). The fat in this group had also lower concentrations of MUFA (P≤0.05), UFA, and, consequently, a lower UFA/SFA ratio (P≤0.05) in comparison with controls. The yeast-based supplements significantly affected selected health-promoting properties of lamb meat. The applied diet supplements had no significant effect on AI and TI values.