Effect of alfalfa substituted with ramie on the expression of apoptotic genes in the gastrointestinal tracts of goats

The study investigated the effect of alfalfa hay substituted with ramie silage on the expression of apoptotic genes in the gastrointestinal tract of goats. Thirty-two goats were randomly allocated into four groups, in which the alfalfa was substituted with ramie at 0%, 35%, 75%, and 100% levels, respectively. In the rumen, the mRNA expression of Bax was significantly up-regulated (p = .0007) when alfalfa was 100% substituted by ramie; the mRNA expression of Bcl-2/Bax was significantly downregulated (p = .02) when alfalfa was 100% substituted by ramie compared with the 75% substituted treatment; the protein expression of Bcl-xl was significantly downregulated (p = .03) when alfalfa was 100% substituted by ramie compared with 35% and 75% substituted treatments, respectively. In the jejunum, the mRNA expression of p53 was significantly up-regulated (p = .01) when alfalfa was 100% substituted by ramie compared with 0% and 35% substituted treatments; the protein expression of p53 was significantly up-regulated (p = .001) when alfalfa was 35% substituted by ramie compared with 0% and 75% substituted treatments. However, the activity of Caspase-3 was not affected by different substituting levels of ramie in the rumen and jejunum of goats (p > .05). In conclusion, ramie with high substitution had strong antinutritional effect, which might promote the apoptosis in the gastrointestinal tract of goats in a caspase-independent manner, thus affecting the growth and development of goat. It was suggested that ramie should not replace alfalfa more than 35% in the process of goat feeding.