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Morphological studies concerning the digestive system can further information on animal diets, thus aiding in the understanding of feeding behavior. Given the scarcity of information on sea turtle digestive system morphology, the aim of the present study was to describe the digestive tube (DT) morphology of Eretmochelys imbricata hatchlings to further understand the diet of these individuals in the wild. DT samples from 10 stillborn turtles (undefined sex) were analyzed at the macro and microscopic levels. The esophagus, stomach, small intestine (SI), and large intestine (LI) are described. Histologically, the DT is formed by four tunics, the mucosa, submucosa, muscular, and adventitia or serosa. The esophagus is lined by keratinized stratified squamous epithelium, while the remainder of the DT is lined by a simple columnar epithelium. The esophagus mucosa is marked by conical, pointed papillae. The stomach comprises three regions, the cardiac, fundic, and pyloric and is covered by neutral mucous granular cells. The intestinal mucosa presents absorptive cells with microvilli, neutral and acidic goblet cells, and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue. The SI is significantly longer than the LI (p value = 0.006841). These morphological findings are strong indications of adaptations to a carnivorous diet in this hawksbill turtle age group.

Apicomplexan parasites are intracellular protozoa with global distribution and broad host range. Among them, Toxoplasma gondii is notable for its zoonotic potential, infecting various warm-blooded animals as intermediate hosts, with felids serving as definitive hosts. This study investigated the presence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibodies and Apicomplexa protozoa DNA in 29 free-living yellow armadillos (Euphractus sexcinctus) from 5 municipalities, 16 captive collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu), and 10 captive agoutis (Dasyprocta leporina) from one municipality, totaling 55 animals from the Caatinga biome in northeastern Brazil. Blood samples were collected from each animal, and anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were tested using the modified agglutination technique (MAT) with a cutoff of 25 for yellow armadillos and 16 for the other species. Organ fragments were collected from animals that died (E. sexcinctus and P. tajacu). Apicomplexa protozoa DNA was detected using nested PCR targeting the 18s rDNA gene, followed by Sanger sequencing. Antibodies were found in seven (24.13%) armadillos and six (37.5%) peccaries. No antibodies were detected in the agoutis. Apicomplexa DNA was detected in six (31.57%) seropositive armadillos; however, peccaries tested negative by PCR. The presence of anti-T. gondii antibodies and Apicomplexa DNA confirmed parasitic infection in free-living E. sexcinctus from the Caatinga and in P. tajacu kept in a conservation center for the species. These results highlighted the public health risk of consuming raw or undercooked meat from the free-living animals by the local population and underscore the importance of health monitoring and surveillance in wildlife conservation centers. RESUMO: Parasitos Apicomplexa são protozoários intracelulares obrigatórios, com distribuição mundial, e capazes de infectar uma ampla variedade de espécies animais. Dentre esses parasitos, Toxoplasma gondii se destaca devido ao seu potencial zoonótico e a sua capacidade de infectar diversos animais endotérmicos, considerados hospedeiros intermediários, enquanto os membros da família Felidae são os hospedeiros definitivos. Objetivou-se investigar a presença de anticorpos IgG anti-Toxoplasma gondii e DNA de protozoários Apicomplexa em 29 tatupebas (Euphractus sexcinctus) de vida livre oriundos de cinco municípios, 16 queixadas (Pecari tajacu) e 10 cutias (Dasyprocta leporina) de um município, totalizando 55 animais oriundos do bioma Caatinga no nordeste brasileiro. Foram coletadas amostras de sangue de cada animal e foi realizada a pesquisa de anticorpos anti-T. gondii pela técnica técnica de aglutinação modificada (MAT) utilizando ponto de corte de 25 para tatupeba e 16 para as outras espécies. Fragmentos de órgãos foram coletados dos animais que vieram a óbito (E. sexcinctus e P. tajacu). O DNA de protozoários Apicomplexa foi detectado por meio de nested PCR, tendo como alvo o gene 18s rDNA, seguido de sequenciamento pelo método de Sanger. Foram encontrados anticorpos em sete (24,13%) tatupebas e seis (37,5%) queixadas. Não foram detectados anticorpos nas cutias. A presença de DNA de protozoário Apicomplexa foi confirmada por sequenciamento em seis (31,57%) tatupebas que foram reagentes na análise sorológica. No entanto, nenhuma das queixadas testou positivo. A presença de anticorpos anti-T. gondii e DNA de parasitos Apicomplexa confirmou a infecção parasitária em E. sexcinctus de vida livre da Caatinga e em P. tajacu mantidos em um centro de conservação para a espécie. Os resultados reforçam a circulação de T. gondii entre mamíferos silvestres, tanto em habitats naturais quanto sob cuidados humanos. Os resultados demonstraram o risco de consumir carne crua ou mal cozida de animais de vida livre pela população local. Além disso, destacam a necessidade de intensificar a vigilância e o monitoramento da sanidade da fauna silvestre mantida em centros de conservação.

The tongue is a fundamental organ in feeding, vocalization, and grooming. It is characterized by evolutionary adaptations reflected by diet, habitat, and function. Rodents are a very diverse mammalian order and the tongue's morphology varies in size, form, and presence of papillae. This work aimed to describe the morphological and ultrastructural aspects of the tongue of Spix's yellow-toothed cavy (Galea spixii, Wagler, 1831). Tongues of Spix's yellow-toothed cavies were analyzed with light microscopy, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that the tongue was divided into apex, body, and root. There were different types of papillae, such as vallate, foliate, laterally placed fungiform, fungiform, filiform, and robust filiform. The epithelium was organized into layers, including keratinized, granulous, spinous, and basal, below were lamina propria, and musculature, which evolved mucous and serous gland clusters. The tongue of Spix's yellow-toothed cavy was structurally and ultrastructurally similar to other rodents and had papillae with similar morphologies to other Caviidae species. However, the presence of robust filiform papillary lines and laterally placed fungiform papillae showed the main differences from other species. This was the first description of the tongue of Spix's yellow-toothed cavy.

Biobanking of cell lines is a promising tool of support for wildlife conservation. In particular, the ability to preserve fibroblast cell lines derived from collared peccaries is of significance as these wild mammals are unique to the Americas and play a large role in maintaining the ecosystem. We identified collared peccary fibroblasts by immunofluorescence and evaluated their morphology, growth and adherence capacity. Further, we monitored the viability and metabolic activity of the fibroblasts to determine the effects of passage number and cryopreservation on establishment of cell lines. Skin biopsies were collected from the peripheral ear region from five adult animals in captivity. Initially, cells were isolated from fragments and cultured in the Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum and 2% antibiotic-antimycotic solution under a controlled atmosphere (38.5 °C, 5% CO ). We evaluated the maintenance of primary cells for morphology, adherence capacity of explants, explants in subconfluence, cell growth and absence of contamination. Moreover, we identified the fibroblast cells by immunofluorescence. Additionally, to evaluate the influence of the number of passages (first, third and tenth passage) and cryopreservation on establishment of cell lines, fibroblasts were analysed for the viability, metabolic activity, population doubling time (PDT), levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). All explants (20/20) adhered to the dish in 2.4 days ± 0.5 with growth around the explants in 4.6 days ± 0.7, and subconfluence was observed within 7.8 days ± 1.0. Moreover, by morphology and immunocytochemistry analyses, cells were identified as fibroblasts which presented oval nuclei, a fusiform shape and positive vimentin staining. No contamination was observed after culture without antibiotics and antifungals for 30 days. While there was no difference observed for cell viability after the passages (first vs. third: = 0.98; first vs. tenth: = 0.76; third vs. tenth: = 0.85), metabolic activity was found to be reduced in the tenth passage (23.2 ± 12.1%) when compared to that in the first and third passage (100.0 ± 24.4%, = 0.006). Moreover, the cryopreservation did not influence the viability ( = 0.11), metabolic activity ( = 0.77), or PDT ( = 0.11). Nevertheless, a greater ΔΨm ( = 0.0001) was observed for the cryopreserved cells (2.12 ± 0.14) when compared to that in the non-cryopreserved cells (1.00 ± 0.05). Additionally, the cryopreserved cells showed greater levels of intracellular ROS after thawing (1.69 ± 0.38 vs. 1.00 ± 0.22, = 0.04). This study is the first report on isolation, characterization and cryopreservation of fibroblasts from collared peccaries. We showed that adherent cultures were efficient for obtaining fibroblasts, which can be used as donor cells for nuclei for species cloning and other applications.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a matrix of acid and alkaline proteases in diets for Penaeus vannamei shrimp, considering zootechnical performance, meat yield, and intestinal histomorphometry. The experiment was carried out in 32 experimental units, with four treatments and eight replications each, using a density of 80 shrimp per square meter. The treatments consisted of positive control (PC) with standard diet, negative control (NC) with nutritional reduction, PC supplemented with 250 g/t of proteases (PCE), and NC supplemented with 250 g/t of proteases (NCE). In the fattening phase, significantly greater weight gain was observed in the NCE (14.23 g) and PCE (13.6 g) groups (p = 0.0381). Feed efficiency increased by 56.07% in the NCE group. Weekly growth was higher in the PCE (113.4%) and NCE (118.6%) groups (p = 0.028), with post-slaughter yields of 53.03% (NCE) and 52.21% (PCE). Water and humidity retention capacity remained stable in the NCE group during 210 days of frozen storage after slaughter. Intestinal histology indicated a greater absorption area in the groups with the best feed conversion and growth rates. It is concluded that protease supplementation improves nutrient absorption, growth, and meat yield in P. vannamei.

Cryopreservation of somatic tissue can be applied in biodiversity conservation, especially for wild species as collared peccary. We aimed to evaluate the effect of vitrification techniques of ear tissue of collared peccary [direct vitrification in cryovials (DVC) or solid-surface vitrification (SSV)] on the layers of epidermis and dermis by conventional histology and cell ability during the in vitro culture. Thus, both the vitrification methods were able to maintain normal patterns of the epidermis as the cornea and granular layers, furthermore the intercellular space and dermal–epidermal junction of the spinous layer when compared to fresh control. Nevertheless, DVC and SSV percentage of normality decreased in the morphological integrity of cytoplasm (37.5 and 25.0%) of spinous layer, respectively, as compared to the fresh fragments (100%, p  < 0.05). Moreover, other differences between the fresh control (100%) and DVC tissues were verified in the intra-epidermal cleavage of the spinous (37.5%) and basal (37.5%) layers. In general, DVC and SSV techniques were efficient for the recovery of the somatic cells according to most of the evaluated parameters for the in vitro culture ( p  > 0.05). In addition, only at time of 72 h (D3), in the growth curve, DVC fragments showed a reduced cell concentration than fresh control. In conclusion, SSV was found to be a more efficient method for vitrifying collared peccary skin tissue when compared to DVC. These results are relevant for the tissue cryopreservation from collared peccary and could also be useful for mammals with phylogenetic relationships.

This work aims to study the major salivary gland morphology of peccaries during their growth. The glands were analyzed using macroscopic description, light microscopy, electron microscopy, histochemistry, and immunohistochemistry. Topographically, the salivary glands resemble other animals, including domestic animals and pigs. During growth, the parotid enlarges and mandibular gland loses weight. Histologically, the parotid has serous production, and sublingual has mucous production, resembles most species, however, mandibular gland produces mucous, unlike other animals, including pigs, which produce seromucous secretion. Histochemically, parotid produces more acidic mucins than pigs and it undergoes maturation during development; mandibular, and especially the sublingual gland, produce more acidic and basic mucopolysaccharides than pigs. The results found with transmission and scanning electron microscopy techniques corroborate the histological and histochemistry findings. The major salivary glands were positive to different lecithins (Com-A, BSA-I-B4, WGA and PNA), which were also more positive than in pigs and sheep. We conclude that collared peccaries have a salivary secretion that facilitates the digestion of carbohydrates, and biometric characteristics and positivity to lecithins that facilitate adaptation to foods with antinutritional factors.

Heterologous fertilization (IVF) is an important tool for assessing fertility of endangered mammals such as the jaguar, considering difficult access to females for artificial insemination and to obtain homologous oocytes. We aimed to evaluate the fertility of jaguar sperm cryopreserved with different extenders, using domestic cat oocytes to assess the development of hybrid embryos. Semen from four captive jaguars was obtained by electroejaculation. Samples were cryopreserved in powdered coconut water (ACP-117c) or Tris extender containing 20% egg yolk and 6% glycerol. Thawed spermatozoa were resuspended (2.0 × 10 spermatozoa/mL) in IVF medium and co-incubated with cat oocytes matured for 18 h. Presumptive zygotes were cultured for 7 days. After 48 h, cleavage rate was evaluated, and non-cleaved structures were stained for IVF evaluation. On days 5 and 7, the rate of morula and blastocyst formation was assessed. Data were analyzed using the Fisher exact test ( < 0.05). No difference was observed between ACP-117c and Tris extenders, respectively, for oocytes with 2nd polar body (2/51, 3.9 ± 2.9% . 2/56, 3.6 ± 3.1%), pronuclear structures (5/51, 9.8 ± 4.7% . 8/56, 14.3 ± 8.0%), and total IVF rates (7/36, 19.4 ± 5.0% 10/37, 27.0 ± 13.8%). All the samples fertilized the oocytes, with 22.9 ± 3.2% (16/70) and 16.7 ± 3.6% (12/72) cleavage of mature oocytes for ACP-117c and Tris extenders, respectively. Morula rates of 4.3 ± 2.3% (3/70) and 5.6 ± 2.2% (4/72) were observed for ACP-117c and Tris, respectively. Only the Tris extender demonstrated blastocyst production (2/12, 16.7 ± 1.5% blastocyst/cleavage). We demonstrated that jaguar ejaculates cryopreserved using ACP-117c and Tris were suitable for IVF techniques, with blastocyst production by ejaculates cryopreserved in Tris. This is a first report of embryos produced using jaguar sperm and domestic cat oocytes through IVF.

This study investigates the role of eugenol (EUG) on CS-induced acute lung injury (ALI) and how this compound is able to modulate macrophage activity. C57BL/6 mice were exposed to 12 cigarettes/day/5days and treated 15 min/day/5days with EUG. Rat alveolar macrophages (RAMs) were exposed to CSE (5%) and treated with EUG. In vivo, EUG reduced morphological changes inflammatory cells, oxidative stress markers, while, in vitro, it induced balance in the oxidative stress and reduced the pro-inflammatory cytokine release while increasing the anti-inflammatory one. These results suggest that eugenol reduced CS-induced ALI and acted as a modulator of macrophage activity.

In this paper we report the trauma suffered by a green turtle ), caused by a collision with a motorboat, and describe the case and . An adult female green turtle was rescued alive on December 2, 2016 at Ponta Negra beach, municipality of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The rescued animal was sent to the Marine Fauna Rehabilitation Center (PCCB-UERN), municipality of Areia Branca (RN), in Brazil. Physical examination revealed an excellent body score, noisy breathing, moderate dehydration, absence of hind limb and cloacal reflexes when stimulated by pressure, and two traumatic injuries characteristic of a collision with a motorboat. After three days of supportive treatment, the animal died and was immediately sent for necropsy. The animal had a complete fracture of the vertebral bodies (dorsal elements D9 and D10) and spinal cord section. The entire gastrointestinal tract had food content, in addition to sharp injuries in the colon caused by the bone fragments of the fractured carapace. The lungs were congested, hemorrhagic with frothy and bloody secretion, and interstitial bronchiole fibrosis. There was also present some fibrin and a large number of leukocyte cells, consisting mainly of macrophages. The liver was enlarged, with rounded edges and thickening of the capsule, multifocal areas of hepatocellular necrosis, and dissociation of the hepatocyte cords. The collision resulted in the exposure of the coelomic cavity and spinal cord, causing the animal intense pain, paralysis of the hind limbs and cloaca, septicemia, and consequently, death.