Shihai Zhang

• PhD
• South China Agricultural University

Background Early embryo development plays a pivotal role in determining pregnancy outcomes, postnatal development, and lifelong health. Therefore, the strategic selection of functional nutrients to enhance embryo development is of paramount importance. In this study, we established a stable porcine trophectoderm cell line expressing dual fluorescen...

Mastitis, a prevalent inflammatory disease in mammals, disrupts mammary gland function, compromises milk quality, and can contribute to increased offspring morbidity and mortality. Maintaining the health of porcine mammary epithelial cells (PMECs), the primary cell type in the mammary gland, is crucial for minimizing the adverse effects of this dis...

This study evaluated the effect of maternal glycerol monolaurate (GML) supplementation during late gestation and lactation on sow reproductive performance, transfer of immunity and redox status, milk fat and fatty acid profile, and fecal microbiota. Eighty multiparous sows (Landrace × Large white) were randomly allocated to two treatment groups (wi...

Intestine derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is closely related to systemic inflammation and disorders, yet little is known about its roles in the weanling stress of piglets and its potential as a nutritional intervention target. This study aimed to investigate the potential of essential oils (EO) and organic acids (OA) in mitigating weaning stress i...

The gut barrier is the first line of defense against harmful substances and pathogens in the intestinal tract. The balance of proliferation and apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) is crucial for maintaining the integrity of the intestinal mucosa and its function. However, oxidative stress and inflammation can cause DNA damage and abnorm...

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a complex comprising formic acid, benzoic acid, and essential oils (AO3) on the growth performance of weaned piglets and explore the underlying mechanism. Dietary AO3 supplementation significantly enhanced the average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI), while decreasing the feed convers...

Introduction Global warming augments the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in vulnerable expectant mothers. Pioneering investigations into heat stress (HS) have predominantly centered on its direct impact on reproductive functions, while the potential roles of gut microbiota, despite its significant influence on distant tissues, remain largely une...

This study aims to investigate the impact of dietary supplementation with selenium yeast (SeY) and glycerol monolaurate (GML) on the transfer of antioxidative capacity between the mother and fetus during pregnancy and its underlying mechanisms. A total of 160 sows with similar body weight and parity of 3–6 parity sows were randomly and uniformly al...

Background The benefits of combining benzoic acid and essential oils (BAO) to mitigate intestinal impairment during the weaning process have been well established, while the detailed underlying mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Previous research has primarily focused on the reparative effects of BAO on intestinal injury, while neglecting its...

The follicle is an important unit for the synthesis of steroid hormones and the oocyte development and maturation in mammals. However, the effect of methionine supply on follicle development and its regulatory mechanism are still unclear. In the present study, we found that dietary methionine supplementation during the estrous cycle significantly i...

This study evaluated the effects of maternal selenium-enriched yeast (SeY) supplementation during late gestation and lactation on sow performance, transfer of selenium (Se) and redox status, and gut microbiota community, as well as on the gut health of offspring. Seventy pregnant sows on day 85 of gestation were randomly allocated to the following...

Simple Summary Intestinal health is an important indicator of the healthy growth of piglets. As the agricultural industry eliminates the use of antibiotics in animal feed, alternatives to antibiotics will be needed. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of lysozyme–cinnamaldehyde conjugates (LC) as a potential alternative to antibiotics in treat...

Background and aims Amino acids (AAs) not only constitute milk protein but also stimulate milk synthesis through the activation of mTORC1 signaling, but which amino acids that have the greatest impact on milk fat and protein synthesis is still very limited. In this study, we aimed to identify the most critical AAs involved in the regulation of milk...

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are a new type of environmental pollutant. However, studies have mainly focused on the distribution characteristics of ARGs in the livestock environment, lacking of studies on the composition of ARGs in the intestinal tract of animals and the effect of nutrients on intestinal ARGs and microbial communities. Reduci...

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), characterized by an abnormal immune response, includes two distinct types: Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Extensive research has revealed that the pathogeny of IBD encompasses genetic factors, environmental factors, immune dysfunction, dysbiosis, and lifestyle choices. Furthermore, patients with...

The maternal microbiome is essential for the healthy growth and development of offspring and has long-term effects later in life. Recent advances indicate that the maternal microbiome begins to regulate fetal health and development during pregnancy. Furthermore, the maternal microbiome continues to affect early microbial colonization via birth and...

This study aimed to investigate the effect of boron on porcine mammary epithelial cells (PMECs) survival, cell cycle, and milk fat synthesis. PMECs from boron-treated groups were exposed to 0–80 mmol/L boric acid concentrations. Cell counting kit-8 and flow cytometry assays were performed to assess cell survival and the cell cycle, respectively. Tr...

Milk yield and composition are critical determining factors for the early growth and development of neonates. The objective of this experiment was to comprehensively evaluate the effects of dietary sodium acetate (SA) supplementation on the milk yield and composition of sows and the growth performance of their offspring. A total of 80 sows (Landrac...

Glycerol monolaurate (GML) is a food safe emulsifier and a kind of MCFA monoglyceride that has been proven to confer positive benefits in improving animal health, production and feed digestibility as a feed additive. This study aims to evaluate whether supplementation of a sow diet with GML could affect the intestinal barrier function and antioxida...

As a crucial receptor of BHBA and niacin, GPR109A is largely expressed in the mammary gland. However, the role of GPR109A in milk synthesis and its underlying mechanism is still largely unknown. In this study, we first investigated the effect of GPR109A agonists (niacin/BHBA) on milk fat and milk protein synthesis in a mouse mammary epithelial cell...

Fatty acids are not only widely known as energy sources, but also play important roles in many metabolic pathways. The significance of fatty acids in modulating the reproductive potential of livestock has received greater recognition in recent years. Functional fatty acids and their metabolites improve follicular development, oocyte maturation and...

Background Fat is a critical component in milk, which provided energy for the early growth and development of mammals. Milk fat is positively related to the concentration of acetate in the blood, while the underlying mechanism is still unclear. Objective This study is to investigate the effects of sodium acetate (NaAc) on milk fat synthesis in the...

Fatty acids play important roles in maintaining ovarian steroidogenesis and endometrial receptivity. Porcine primary ovarian granulosa cells (PGCs) and endometrial epithelial cells (PEECs) were treated with or without medium- and short-chain fatty acids (MSFAs) for 24 h. The mRNA abundance of genes was detected by fluorescence quantitative PCR. The...

Artemisia annua L. (A. annua) contains artemisinin, which attracts attention on account of its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. The increased intestinal inflammation, oxidative stress, and hypoimmunity commonly occur in the...

As one of the most important organs in animals, the intestine is responsible for nutrient absorption and acts as a barrier between the body and the environment. Intestinal physiology and function require the participation of energy. 5′-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a classical and highly expressed energy regulator in inte...

Lipase Lip2 from Yarrowia lipolytica with great potential value in the enzymatic preparation of medium-long-medium structured lipids (MLM-SLs), but the synthetic efficiency might be limited by its poor thermostability. We identified flexible regions of lipase Lip2 by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, and then disulfide bonds were engineered into...

The aims of this study were to evaluate whether a diet supplemented with glyceryl butyrate could attenuate the immune-inflammatory response in piglets challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), and to explore the mechanisms of its regulation. Eighteen weaning piglets were assigned to three diets: basal diet (CON), antibiotics diet (AT...

Comprehensive studies have been conducted to compare the effect of organic and inorganic selenium previously, but there is still limited knowledge about the difference between organic selenium (Se) from varied sources despite the widely use of organic Se in both animal and human being nutrient additives. In the present study, we systemically compar...

Artemisia annua L., which is known for its antimalarial compound artemisinin, has commonly been used for its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial functions. Enzymatically treating Artemisia annua L. can improve its bioavailability. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary enzymatically treated Artemisia annua L. (EA) suppl...

Background The mammary gland is responsible for milk production and secretion, which is critical for neonatal health during lactation. Lactation efficiency is largely affected by energy status with unclear mechanism. Results In the current study, we found that synthesis of milk fat and protein was significantly inhibited under energy-deficient con...

In a previously published study we reported that sow dietary leucine supplementation during late pregnancy significantly improved newborn piglet birth weight by stimulating protein synthesis in the longissimus dorsi muscle. However, there is still limited knowledge as to whether leucine can exert its effects on the placenta, one of the most importa...

The immature immune system at birth and environmental stress increase the risk of infection in nursing pigs. Severe infection subsequently induces intestinal and respiratory diseases and even cause death of pigs. The nutritional and physiological conditions of sows directly affect the growth, development and disease resistance of the fetus and newb...

The performance of high-yielding sows is directly related to the productivity of pig farming. Fetal development mainly occurs during the last month of pregnancy, and the aggressive metabolic burden of sows during this stage eventually leads to systemic oxidative stress. When affected by oxidative stress, sows exhibit adverse symptoms such as reduce...

The mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) senses multiple stimuli to regulate anabolic and catabolic processes. mTORC1 is typically hyperactivated in multiple human diseases such as cancer and type 2 diabetes. Extensive research has focused on signaling pathways that can activate mTORC1 such as growth factors and amino acids. However, le...

Monoglyceride and diglyceride (MGDG) have antiviral and antibacterial properties and act as emulsifiers to increase dietary lipid digestibility. The primary aim of this trial was to investigate the effects of dietary MGDG supplementation on the reproductive performance and health status of sows during late gestation and lactation. One hundred sows...

This study investigated the effects of selenomethionine (Se-Met) on the cell viability, selenoprotein expression, and antioxidant function of porcine mammary epithelial cells (pMECs) to reveal the underlying molecular mechanism of Se-Met on the lactation performance and antioxidant capacity of sows in vitro. The pMECs were used as an in vitro model...

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary Yucca schidigera extract (YSE) supplementation to sow performance, nutrients digestibility and ammonia emission of manure. Total 80 sows were randomly divided into 4 groups and fed with either control, control + 0.06% YSE, control + 0.12% YSE or control + 0.24% YSE diet from day 80 of ge...

Tremendous progress has been made in the field of ferroptosis since this regulated cell death process was first named in 2012. Ferroptosis is initiated upon redox imbalance and driven by excessive phospholipid peroxidation. Levels of multiple intracellular nutrients (iron, selenium, vitamin E, and coenzyme Q 10 ) are intimately related to the cellu...

Background Our previous study found that sow dietary leucine supplementation signicicantly improved fetal intrauterine growth and newborn piglet birth weight. But we still have limited knowledge how leucine regulated placental functions to promote the nutrient supply to fetus to support its intrauterine development. Methods 150 sows at day 90 of g...

Simple Summary Sow mastitis is a serious breast disease that can cause severe inflammation, agalaxia and even lead to death of piglets. Porcine mammary epithelial cells (pMECs) are the main cell types that affect sow milk secretion, therefore, when swine mastitis occurs, the inflammatory response of pMECs directly affects the mammary gland health a...

Diabetes, obesity, and other metabolic diseases have been recognized as the main factors that endanger human health worldwide. Most of these metabolic syndromes develop when the energy balance in the body is disrupted. Energy balance depends upon the systemic regulation of food intake, glucose homeostasis, and lipid metabolism. Fatty acid-binding G...

This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary anethole supplementation on the growth performance, intestinal barrier function, inflammatory response, and intestinal microbiota of piglets challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli K88. Thirty-six weaned piglets (24 ± 1 days old) were randomly allocated into four treatment groups: (1)...

The objective of this study was to estimate the effect of standardized ileal digestible (SID) tryptophan (Trp) to lysine (Lys) ratios on growth performance and jejunal expression of amino acid transporters in weaning pigs. A total of 240 hybrid [(Duroc, male) x (Large White x Landrace, female)] piglets (6.52 ± 0.42 kg) were used in a 28-day growth...

This study investigated the effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product (SCFP) on nutrient digestibility and ileal digesta characteristics of cannulated growing pigs fed corn- or barley-sorghum-based diets. Eight ileal-cannulated barrows randomized in a double 4 × 4 Latin square design were fed four diets in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangeme...

This study aimed to examine the effects of increasing levels of three 18-carbon fatty acids (stearate, oleate and linoleate) on mammary lipogenesis, and to evaluate their effects on the milk lipogenic pathway in porcine mammary epithelial cells (pMECs). We found that increasing the three of 18-carbon fatty acids enhanced the cellular lipid synthesi...

Simple Summary Fat is an important energy resource in animal production. Studies of the effect of dietary fat on gut function will facilitate the development and utilization of new fat resources. In our previous study, we found that piglet diarrhea is related to the type of dietary fat ingested. Therefore, we wondered whether dietary fat regulates...

The medicinal plant Artemisia annua L. is well known for its antimalarial compound artemisinin and the antioxidant capacity of its active ingredients. However, low bioavailability of Artemisia annua L. limits its therapeutic potential, fermentation of Artemisia annua L. can improve its bioavailability. This study was aimed to investigate the effect...

Dietary fiber is a critical nutrient in sow diet and has attracted interest of animal nutritionists for many years. In addition to increase sows’ satiety, dietary fiber has been found to involve in the regulation of multiple biological functions in the sow production. The interaction of dietary fiber and gut microbes can produce bioactive metabolit...

Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducers and activators of transcription 5 (STAT5) are involved in the proliferation, differentiation, and survival of mammary gland epithelial cells. Dysregulation of JAK2-STAT5 activity invariably leads to mammary gland developmental defects and/or diseases, including breast cancer. Proper functioning of the JA...

The present study was conducted to evaluate the impact of dietary fully oxidised β -carotene (OxBC, C 40 H 60 O 15 ) supplementation during the perinatal period on immune status and productivity in a sow model. At day 85 of pregnancy, 150 sows were allocated to one of three dietary treatments with fifty sows per treatment. The three experimental di...

Background: Guangdong Small-ear Spotted pigs are Chinese indigenous pig that have the characteristic of desired meat quality and resistance to coarse feeding. However, no study has elucidated the effects of dietary energy levels on body weight, muscle development and glucose metabolism of its newborn piglets. Therefore, a total of 66 pregnant gilts...

Activated protein kinase (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) senses the cellular energy status and coordinates catabolic and anabolic processes. Extensive studies have proposed that AMPK regulates energy homeostasis, cell growth, autophagy, mitochondrial biology and inflammation. The biological functions of AMPK vary in different tissues or organ...

Forty pigs (10.7 ± 1.2 kg initial BW at 6 wk of age) were used in a 21-d study to evaluate the effects of supplemental xylanase (Hostazym X 100, Huvepharma, Inc., Peachtree City, GA) in nursery diets on digesta viscosity, nutrient digestibility, health of the small intestine, and growth performance when supplemented with corn distillers’ dried grai...

Fat is one of the most important nutrients which provides concentrated energy and essential fatty acids. High fat diet markedly changes the gut microbial composition in mammals, whereas little is known about the impact of fat type on gut microbiome. This study was to evaluate the effects of fat sources on intestinal microbiota of nursery pigs. Eigh...

Early embryo implantation and development is primarily determined by the homeostasis between cellular apoptosis and proliferation as well as placental nutrient transporters. Recent studies showed that L‐carnitine enhances female reproductive performance. However, the potential function of L‐carnitine on placenta is largely unknown. In our study, pr...

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the encapsulation of palm oil by homogenizing and spray drying on the diet nutrient digestibility, growth performance and serum biochemical indices of piglets. In experiment 1, six weaning barrows (8.0 ± 0.2 kg) were fed in a 3 × 3 Latin square design to test the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) o...

This study determined the potential of formic acid plus monolaurin (FA + ML) as alternative to antibiotics in diet when piglets challenged with ETEC. Piglets fed the FA + ML diet had lower fecal score and rectal temperature after ETEC challenge. In addition, FA + ML supplementation induced lower plasma TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β concentration postchalle...

Mammary gland, a unique exocrine organ, is responsible for milk synthesis in mammals. Neonatal growth and health are predominantly determined by quality and quantity of milk production. Amino acids are crucial maternal nutrients that are the building blocks for milk protein and are potential energy sources for neonates. Recent advances made regardi...

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product (SCFP) during late pregnancy and lactation on sow productivity, colostrum and milk composition, and antioxidant status of sows in a subtropical climate. The study was a 2 × 2 factorial treatment design where the first factor was envi...

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with yeast culture and organic selenium during late gestation and lactation on reproductive performance, milk quality, piglet preweaning performance, antioxidant capacity, and secretion of immunoglobulin in multiparous sows. A total of 160 healthy cross-bred sows (Landra...

Abstract Background Fat percentage and distribution in pigs are associated with their productive efficiency and meat quality. Dietary branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) regulate fat metabolism in weanling piglets with unknown mechanism. It is reported that N6-methyl-adenosine (m6A) is involved in fat metabolism in mice. The current study was designe...

Background Lysine is used widely in livestock production due to the shortage of feed protein resources. L-lysine·H2SO4 contains L-lysine sulphate as well as fermentation co-products which contain other amino acids and phosphorus. However, there are few articles about L-lysine·H2SO4 product regarding intestinal morphology and liver pathology of broi...

Correction for ‘Isoleucine attenuates infection induced by E. coli challenge through the modulation of intestinal endogenous antimicrobial peptide expression and the inhibition of the increase in plasma endotoxin and IL-6 in weaned pigs’ by Man Ren et al. , Food Funct. , 2019, DOI: 10.1039/c9fo00218a.

Strategies to increase feed intake is of great importance for producing more meat in swine production. Intestinal and hypothalamic amino acid receptors are found largely participated in feed intake regulation. The purpose of the current research was to study the function of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) supplementation in the regulation of fee...

Enteric infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in both humans and animals worldwide. Immunotherapy against intestinal infection is a well-known antibiotic alternative strategy. Herein, we demonstrated that isoleucine significantly suppressed the multiplication of E. coli in the presence of IPEC-J2 cells. Isoleucine supplementation en...

Branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) are essential amino acids involved in regulation of feed intake. The function of BCAAs on the central nervous system has been extensively studied, but effects of BCAAs on secretion of gut satiety hormones and their underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. In this study, we evaluated the distribution of gut hormo...

The limited thermostability of Yarrowia lipolytica lipase 2 (Lip2) hampers its industrial application. To improve its thermostability, we combined single disulfide bonds which our group identified previously. In this study, combining different regional disulfide bonds had greater effect than combining same regional disulfide bonds. Furthermore, mut...

It is known that heat stress induces various physiological challenges in livestock production including changes in lipid metabolism. However, the molecular mechanism of how heat stress regulates lipid metabolism at the mRNA level is still largely unknown. N⁶-methyl-adenosine (m⁶A) is the most common and abundant modification on RNA molecules presen...

Oocyte quality is closely related to female fertility. Nevertheless, core nutritional metabolites influencing oocyte quality are unclear. Herein, comprehensive metabolomics analysis of follicular fluid, serum, and urine from low reproductive performance (LRP) and normal reproductive performance (NRP) sows was conducted. Twenty-seven, fourteen and s...

Simple Summary Dietary protein is an important nutrient source for sows, necessary for not only growth and production, but also other physiological functions. Protein limitations in maternal diets have the potential to impair fetal myogenesis, while excess maternal dietary protein appears to only have minor effects on early fetal muscle formation....

As the only nutritional source for newborn piglets, porcine colostrum and milk contain critical nutritional and immunological components including carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins (immunoglobulins). However, porcine milk composition is more complex than these three components. Recently, scientists identified additional and novel components of so...

Background Milk in mammals is a key source of lipids for offspring, providing both critical energy and essential fatty acids. For lactating sows, palmitic acid is one of the most abundant fatty acids in milk, providing 10~12% of the suckling pig total dietary energy supply. However, the effects of exogenous palmitic acid on milk fat synthesis in so...

Abstract Background Lactose synthesis rate is an important factor in milk production and quality in mammals. Understanding the lactose synthesis mechanism is crucial for the improvement of milk quantity and quality. However, research on the temporal gene changes regarding lactose synthesis during the whole lactation is still limited. The objective...

Encapsulation of fat may facilitate digestion and absorption of fat in nursery pigs. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate (1) effects of encapsulation of palm oil and coconut oil on growth performance, feed intake, feed efficiency, and blood parameters, and (2) effects of encapsulation of palm oil and coconut oil on apparent total tract diges...

Recent studies have shown that L-carnitine supplementation of sows during pregnancy and lactation enhances their reproductive performance, but the underlying mechanisms are still needed to be further confirmed. This study was conducted to investigate the function of L-carnitine on placental development, milk nutrient content and release of hormones...

Background Milk protein is crucial for milk quality in sows and health of newborn piglets. Plasma amino acids (AA) in sows are important precursors for milk protein synthesis in the mammary gland. In order to study the regulation of AA transported in sow mammary glands and possible underlying mechanisms, we measured the expression of genes coding f...

Leucine (Leu) plays an important role in protein synthesis and metabolism. The present study tested whether Leu supplementation in the diet for sows during late pregnancy could improve piglet birth weight, and also investigated the possible underlying mechanism. Two hundreds sows at day 70 of pregnancy were selected and assigned to four groups fed...

The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of different levels of soybean oil and exogenous lipase on growth performance, serum biochemical indices and caecal microbial diversity and similarity in weaning pigs. A total of 504 weanling pigs (252 males and 252 females) were randomly assigned to four tre...