Bixin uptake and antioxidative effect and role in immunoregulation in domestic cats1

Abstract

Bixin, a carotenoid found in the seed of the Annatto plant, , is a potent antioxidant. Carotenoids are readily absorbed from the diet; therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine uptake of bixin by plasma, lipoproteins, and leukocytes after dietary supplementation in domestic cats and to assess effects on immune response. Female domestic short hair cats (3 yr old; 4.79 ± 0.13 kg BW) were fed a single dose of 0, 1, 5, or 10 mg bixin, and blood was taken at 0, 1, 2, 4 and 8 h after administration ( = 6/treatment) to determine acute absorption rate. Then, bixin was fed daily for 14 d to examine steady-state plasma concentrations and subcellular distribution. Following these preliminary experiments, cats ( = 8/treatment) were fed diets containing 0, 1, 5, or 10 mg bixin/d for 16 wk and blood was collected on wk 0, 6, 12, and 16 for analysis of leukocyte subpopulations, cell-mediated responsiveness, and inflammatory and oxidative biomarkers. Maximal uptake in plasma occurred 1 h after a single oral dose of bixin, with a maximal concentration of 0.119 μ and elimination half-life of 1.8 to 2.2 h. Daily feeding of bixin showed a steady-state plasma concentration of 0.110 μ at the greatest doses. Bixin was primarily associated with the high-density lipoprotein fraction of blood lipoproteins and was primarily distributed in mitochondrial fractions (58-59%) of but also in microsomal and nuclear fractions (37-44%). Leukocyte subpopulations in blood were variably affected by dietary bixin, with an increase ( < 0.05) in total T cells but a concurrent decrease ( < 0.05) in CD18+ and B cell subpopulations. However, plasma IgG increased ( < 0.05) in the 10-mg treatment group by wk 6. Lymphoproliferation was stimulated ( < 0.05) in the 5-mg bixin treatment group by wk 16, and delayed-type hypersensitivity response increased after nonspecific antigenic challenge. Conversely, when a specific challenge of vaccine was assessed on wk 12 and 16, responsiveness decreased ( < 0.05) in the 10-mg bixin treatment group. Bixin supplementation surprisingly caused an increase ( < 0.05) in α-acid glycoprotein but had no effect on natural killer cell activity, other subpopulations of leukocytes, or 8-oxo-2›-deoxyguanosine, a DNA damage biomarker. This experiment demonstrated dose-dependent uptake of bixin in plasma and blood lipoproteins and distribution in leukocyte subcellular components and an impacted immune response through cell-mediated and humoral actions.

Achiote (Bixa orellana) Lipophilic Extract, Bixin, and δ-tocotrienol Effects on Lifespan and Stress Resistance in Caenorhabditis elegans

“…They reported that the increase in stress resistance led to a decrease in lipids, DNA, and protein oxidation. To our knowledge, no similar studies are available for AE, bixin, or dT3, although in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activity, as well as anti-inflammatory effects, have been reported [18,[29][30][31]. Although bixin did not improve resistance against oxidative or thermal stress or extend longevity at the concentrations tested in this study, different bixin concentrations might produce a beneficial outcome.…”

Evaluation of a decision support system for precision feeding of gestating sows

“…On a short-term basis, the gestating sow is able to mobilize her body reserves of protein, energy, and minerals to prioritize pregnancy over growth, but the further effects of under- or oversupplying nutrients are not always easy to discern ( Huber, 2019 ). Concerning primiparous sows, precision feeding is specifically interesting as, although they have a greater body protein and weight gain during gestation, they are able to satisfy their requirements for maternal and fetal growth without digging into their own reserves ( Buis, 2016 ). In that study, group-housed gilts fed with a PF strategy during gestation had a similar LS and litter growth than gilts fed with a CF strategy, but PF gilts ate more (+9%) and tended to loose less weight during the subsequent 21 d lactation period, which may benefit long-term reproductive performance.…”

“…New technologies have been developed to feed the group-housed sows, e.g., with automatic feeding stations that are sometimes designed to deliver several feeds. More generally, the development of precision feeding ( PF ) gives new opportunities to better take into account, in real time, the factors influencing nutritional needs ( Brossard et al, 2016 ; Buis et al, 2016 ). In this context, models and decision support systems ( DSS ) have been developed to be integrated into automatic feeders for growing pigs ( Hauschild et al, 2012 ; Cloutier et al, 2015 ; Brossard et al, 2017 ) and more recently for sows ( Gaillard et al, 2019 ; Gauthier et al, 2019 ).…”

Bixin protects mice against bronchial asthma though modulating PI3K/Akt pathway

“…When challenge by subsequent allergens, IgE-coated mast cells and recruited eosinophils release active mediators to promote smooth muscle contraction, vascular permeability and mucus production, resulting in reversible lower airway obstruction in asthmatic individuals termed as acute asthma attack [39]. Studies have demonstrated Bixin shows an immunomodulatory role of in domestic animals [40,41]. In this study, we found that treatment with Bixin signi cantly reduced both the levels of Th2 cytokines and the in ammatory cells in ltration in airway of an acute asthma murine model (Fig.…”