Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Ageratina adenophora on the intestines morphology and integrity in rat. Rats were randomly divided into two groups and were fed with 10 g/100 g body weight (BW) basal diet and 10 g/100 g BW experimental diet, which was a mixture of A. adenophora powder and basal diet in a 3:7 ratio. The feeding experiment lasted for 60 days. At days 28 and 60 of the experiment, eight rats/group/timepoint were randomly selected, weighed, and sacrificed, then blood and intestinal tissues were collected and stored for further analysis. The results showed that Ageratina adenophora caused pathological changes and injury in the intestine, elevated serum diamine oxidase (DAO), D-lactate (D-LA), and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) levels, reduced occludin levels in intestinal tissues, as well as increased the count of intraepithelial leukocytes (IELs) and lamina propria leukocytes (LPLs) in the intestine (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). In addition, the mRNA and protein (ELISA) expressions of pro-inflammation cytokines (IL-1β, IL-2, TNF-α, and IFN-ϒ) were elevated in the Ageratina adenophora treatment groups, whereas anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-4 and IL-10 were reduced (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05). Therefore, the results obtained in this study indicated that Ageratina adenophora impaired intestinal function in rats by damaging the intestine structure and integrity, and also triggered an inflammation immune response that led to intestinal immune barrier dysfunction.
Highlights
IntroductionAgeratina adenophora (Spreng.) R.M. King and H
Key Contribution: In this study, we investigated the toxic effects of A. adenophora on the gut structure and immune barrier integrity
The pathological results obtained in this study showed that the ingestion of A. adenophora caused severe pathological changes on various sections of the intestine as compared to the control group
Summary
Ageratina adenophora (Spreng.) R.M. King and H. Rob., commonly known as Crofton weed, is an invasive plant which is native to Mexico and Central America; it is broadly found in other parts of the world including China [1,2]. A. adenophora has been identified to be toxic to most farm animals and humans. Recent studies have reported various toxic effects of A. adenophora on various organs in different animal models (such as cattle, horse, rodent, sheep, and goats) that ingested this plant [3,4,5]. Sun et al [6] reported that A. adenophora could cause liver toxicity in mice, whereas other reports indicated that A
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