Arsenic trioxide induces innate immune response and inflammatory response in chicken liver via cGAS-STING/NF-κB pathway

Abstract

Arsenic is a toxic metal-like element widely used in the pesticide, preservative and semiconductor industries. However, accumulation of arsenic through the food chain can cause serious damage to animal and human health. However, the toxic mechanism of arsenic-induced hepatotoxicity in chickens is not clear, and the present study aimed to investigate the potential role of cGAS-STING and NF-κB pathways on inflammatory injury in chicken liver. In this study, 75 white-feathered broilers were divided into a control group, a low-dose arsenic group (4 mg/kg) and a high-dose arsenic group (8 mg/kg) to investigate the toxic effects of arsenic on chicken liver. In this study, we found that pathological changes such as inflammatory cell infiltration and vesicular degeneration occurred in the liver when exposed to ATO. Crucially, exposure to ATO triggered the cGAS-STING pathway and markedly raised the levels of mRNA and protein expression of cGAS, STING, TBK1, and IRF7. The type I interferon response was also triggered. Simultaneously, STING induced the activation of the conventional NF-κB signaling pathway and stimulated the expression of genes associated with inflammation, such as IL-6, TNF-α and IL-1β. In summary, the induction of inflammatory responses via cGAS-STING and NF-κB signaling pathways under high ATO exposure provides new ideas for further studies on the toxicological mechanisms of arsenic.