Astaxanthin Mitigates Thiacloprid-Induced Liver Injury and Immunotoxicity in Male Rats.

Shimaa M Abou-Zeid,Mahmoud Alagawany,Samira H Aljuaydi,Enas A Tahoun,Samah R Khalil,Mayada R Farag,Alessandro Di Cerbo,Huda O Abubakr

doi:10.3390/md19090525

Shimaa M Abou-Zeid, Mahmoud Alagawany + Show 6 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/md19090525

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Abstract

Thiacloprid (TCP) is a widely used neonicotinoid insecticide with a probable toxic hazard to animals and human beings. This hazard has intensified the demand for natural compounds to alleviate the expected toxic insults. This study aimed at determining whether astaxanthin (ASX) could mitigate the hepatotoxic effect of TCP and diminish its suppressive effect on immune responses in rats. Animals received TCP by gavage at 62.1 mg/kg (1/10th LD50) with or without ASX at 40 mg/kg for 60 days. Intoxicated rats showed modulation of serum transaminases and protein profiles. The hemagglutination antibody titer to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and the number of plaque-forming cells in the spleen were reduced. The cell-mediated immunity and phagocytosis were suppressed, while serum interleukins IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 were elevated. Additionally, malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine levels were increased in the liver, spleen, and thymus, with depletion of glutathione and suppression of superoxide dismutase and catalase activities. The expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase and the high mobility group box protein 1 genes were upregulated with histomorphological alterations in the aforementioned organs. Cotreatment with ASX markedly ameliorated the toxic effects of TCP, and all markers showed a regression trend towards control values. Collectively, our data suggest that the protective effects of ASX on the liver and immune system of TCP-treated animals depend upon improving the antioxidant status and relieving the inflammatory response, and thus it may be used as a promising therapeutic agent to provide superior hepato- and immunoprotection.

Highlights

To evaluate the effects on the liver, male rats were treated with TCP for 60 days, and serum transaminases and protein profiles were assessed as markers for hepatic damage
All animal handling procedures were approved in advance (Approval No VUSC005-2-20) by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of University of Sadat City, Egypt, which were conducted in accordance with the animal care and handling guidelines of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
The results of the current study have demonstrated that thiacloprid is hepatotoxic and immunosuppressive in rats

Summary

Introduction

Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).Neonicotinoids (NNs) are a recent class of insecticides with a selective agonistic action on the insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and a low affinity for mammalian nAChRs receptors [1]. Thus, they have been considered for replacement of classical insecticides, so that they accounted for more than 25% of the global insecticides market in 2014 [2].Thiacloprid (TCP) is a member of the NNs (Figure 1A), widely used to protect many plant species against insects. Its application may constitute a potential hazard to animals and humans consuming contaminated food or water. The liver was suggested as the

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