Edible bird’s nest (EBN) is constructed from saliva of swiftlets birds and consumed largely by Southeast and East Asians for its nutritional value and anti-aging properties. Although the neuroprotection of EBN in animals has been reported, there has not been yet systemically summarized. Thus, this review systemically outlined the evidence of the neuroprotective activity of EBN in modulating the cognitive functions of either healthy or with induced-cognitive dysfunction animals as compared to placebos. The related records from 2010 to 2020 were retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and ScienceDirect using pre-specified keywords. The relevant records to the effect of EBN on cognition were selected according to the eligibility criteria and these studies underwent appraisal for the risk of bias. EBN improved the cognitive functions of induced-cognitive dysfunction and enhanced the cognitive performance of healthy animals as well as attenuated the neuroinflammations and neuro-oxidative stress in the hippocampus of these animals. Malaysian EBN could improve the cognitive functions of experimental animals as a treatment in induced cognitive dysfunction, a nutritional cognitive-enhancing agent in offspring and a prophylactic conservative effect on cognition against exposure to subsequent noxious cerebral accidents in a dose-depended manner through attenuating neuroinflammation and neuro-oxidative stress. This systemic review did not proceed meta-analysis.

• cognition
• edible birds’ nest
• neurodegeneration
• neuroprotection
• systematic review

• Animals
• Birds
• Cognition
• Databases, Factual
• Food
• Humans
• Nutritive Value
• Oxidative Stress
• Saliva

Edible bird’s nest (EBN) is a popular delicacy in the Asian Pacific region originating from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, which consist of various potential medicine value in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Thailand is one of the main exporters of EBN. However, the genetic information of EBN, a key part of molecular biology, has yet to be reported in Thailand. It is necessary to explore the genetic information of EBN in Thailand based on a quick and simple method to help protect the rights and interests of consumers. This research aimed to systematically evaluate different methods of extracting EBN DNA to improve the efficiency of the analysis of cytochrome b (Cytb) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) gene sequences, the establishment of phylogenetic trees, and the genetic information of EBN in Thailand. Additionally, we aimed to develop a quick and simple method for identifying EBN from different species based on the genetic information and amplification-refractory mutation system PCR (ARMS-PCR). By comparing the four methods [cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), kit and guanidinium isothiocyanate methods] for EBN extraction, we found that the guanidinium isothiocyanate method was the optimal extraction method. Phylogenetic trees generated on the basis of Cytb and ND2 gene analyses showed that 26 samples of house EBN and 4 samples of cave EBN came from Aerodramus fuciphagus and Aerodramus maximus, respectively. In addition, to distinguish different samples from different species of Apodiformes, we designed 4 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification primers based on the ND2 gene sequences of A. fuciphagus and A. maximus. The ARMS-PCR results showed band lengths for A. fuciphagus EBN of 533, 402, and 201 bp, while those for A. maximus EBN were 463, 317, and 201 bp. Collectively, the results showed that ARMS-PCR is a fast and simple method for the genetic identification of EBN based on designing specific original identification primers.

• ARMS-PCR
• Aerodramus fuciphagus
• Aerodramus maximus
• ND2
• edible bird’s nest
• genetic information
• guanidinium isothiocyanate

Tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) are one of the most commonly studied wild birds in North America. They have advanced numerous research areas, including life history, physiology, and organismal responses to global change; however, transcriptomic resources are scarce. To further advance the utility of this system for biologists across disciplines, we generated a transcriptome for the tree swallow using six tissues (brain, blood, ovary, spleen, liver, and muscle) collected from breeding females. We de novo assembled 207,739 transcripts, which we aligned to 14,717 high confidence protein-coding genes. We then characterized each tissue with regard to its unique genes and processes and applied this transcriptome to two fundamental questions in evolutionary biology and endocrinology. First, we analyzed 3,015 single-copy orthologs and identified 46 genes under positive selection in the tree swallow lineage, including those with putative links to adaptations in this species. Second, we analyzed tissue-specific expression patterns of genes involved in sex steroidogenesis and processing. Enzymes capable of synthesizing these behaviorally relevant hormones were largely limited to the ovary, whereas steroid binding genes were found in nearly all other tissues, highlighting the potential for local regulation of sex steroid-mediated traits. These analyses provide new insights into potential sources of phenotypic variation in a free-living female bird and advance our understanding of fundamental questions in evolutionary and organismal biology.

• Adulterant
• Bottom-up proteomics
• Edible bird's nest
• LC-MS/MS
• Quantitation
• Scheduled multiple reaction monitoring
• Specific peptide

Under caged conditions, birds are affected more severely by environmental stressors such as dietary structure, activity space, human disturbances, and pathogens, which may be reflected in the gene expression in peripheral blood or other tissues. Elucidating the molecular mechanism of these stress responses will help improve animal welfare.

In the present study, the blood transcriptomes of six male and five female caged magpies (Pica pica) were sequenced, and a total of ~ 100 Gb in clean reads were generated using the Illumina HiSeq 2000 sequencer. A total of 420,291 unigenes were identified after assembly, of which 179,316 were annotated in five databases, 7471 were assigned to 269 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, and 566 were assigned to the Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG) functional classification “defense mechanisms”. Analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) showed that 2657 unigenes were differentially expressed between males and females (q < 0.1), and these DEGs were assigned to 45 KEGG pathways involving stress resistance, immunity, energy metabolism, reproduction, lifespan regulation, and diseases. Further analysis revealed that females might be more sensitive to stress through upregulation of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) and 5’AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and were also possibly more sensitive to dynamic changes in energy. Females expressed higher major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II levels than males, enhancing resistance to pathogens, and the DEGs related to reproduction included MAPK, CaMK, CPEB, and Cdc25. The genes related to stress, energy, and immunity were also likely related to the regulation of longevity. The upregulated JNKs in females might prolong lifespan and relieve antioxidant stress. Females may also activate the AMPK pathway and implement dietary restrictions to prolong lifespan, whereas males may upregulate SIRT1 and CRAB to increase lifespan.

Female magpies might be more sensitive to stress and dynamic changes in energy thus enhanced resistance to pathogens, and the genes related to stress, energy, and immunity were also possibly related to the regulation of longevity. Further confirmations with techniques such as RT-qPCR and western blot are necessary to validate the above arguments.

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-019-5804-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

• Blood transcriptome analysis
• Defense mechanism
• Differential gene expression
• Environmental stress
• Lifespan