Impaired immune function and structural integrity in the gills of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) caused by chlorpyrifos exposure: Through oxidative stress and apoptosis

Abstract

As one of the mucosal lymphatic tissues, the gill is an important immune organ in fish. Water environmental pollutants enter fish body through the gill. Therefore, the gill is the initial site where pollutants produce toxic effects in water. Chlorpyrifos (CPF), a broad-spectrum organophosphate insecticide, is widely used for agricultural pests and causes river pollution. In the present study, we investigated histopathological effect, oxidative stress indexes (SOD, GSH, T-AOC, and MDA), and apoptosis-related genes (P53, PUMA, Bax, Bcl-2, Apaf-1, Caspase-9, and Caspase-3) in the gills of common carp exposed to CPF. The results indicated that CPF exposure decreased SOD, T-AOC, and GSH; increased MDA; decreased Bcl-2 mRNA expression; and increased P53, PUMA, Bax, Apaf-1, Caspase-9, and Caspase-3 mRNA expressions in common carp gills. Our results proved that CPF exposure caused oxidative stress and apoptosis in common carp gills; CPF exposure destroyed the structural integrity and affected the immune function through oxidative stress and apoptosis in common carp gills. These will provide evidence for the toxic effects of water environmental pollutants on immune function and structural integrity in fish gills.