Protective role of Angelica sinensis extract on trichlorfon-induced oxidative damage and apoptosis in gills and erythrocytes of fish

Abstract

The study explored the effects of the extract of Angelica sinensis (EAs) on the apoptosis and oxidative damage parameters in gills and erythrocytes in trichlorfon-treated carp (Cyprinus carpio var. Jian) and of ligustilide on parameters above in trichlorfon-treated erythrocytes. At the end of a 60 days feeding trial, fish was exposed to 2.4 mg L−1 of trichlorfon (Based on animal model test) for 4 days to determine the effects of EAs on oxidative damage and apoptosis in gills and erythrocytes of carp. The results indicated that dietary EAs significantly increased the level of reduced glutathione (GSH) and the activities of glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reducase (GR) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST), decreased the levels of superoxide anion (O2·-) and malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activities of caspase-8 and caspase-9 and inhibited the trichlorfon-induced decreases in the level of GSH and the activities of Na+,K+-ATPase, GOT, glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (GPT), GPx and GST and increases in the levels of O2·-, hydroxyl radical, MDA and protein carbonyl and the activities of caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, SOD and CAT in gills of carp. Meanwhile, dietary EAs effectively increased haematocrit (Hct), erythrocyte count (EC) and haemoglobin concentration (HbC) in the blood and the level of GSH and the activities of CAT, Na+,K+-ATPase and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and decreased the levels of met-haemoglobin (Met-Hb) and MDA and inhibited the trichlorfon-induced decreases in Hct, EC and HbC in the blood and the level of GSH and the activities of CAT, GPx, Na+,K+-ATPase and LDH and increases in the levels of PS exposure, O2·-, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), Met-Hb and MDA in erythrocytes of carp. Moreover, the present study found that ligustilide, the most abundant active ingredient in Angelica sinensis, markedly suppressed the trichlorfon-induced PS exposure, hemolysis, increases in the levels of calcium ion, O2·-, H2O2 and Met-Hb and the activities of calpain and decreases in the activities of SOD, CAT and GPx in fish erythrocytes. These results demonstrated that dietary EAs could improve the function of erythrocytes and prevent the trichlorfon-induced oxidative damage and apoptosis in gills and erythrocytes of fish. The effects of EAs on the erythrocyte function may be closely associated with its inhibition on apoptosis and oxidative damage in fish. EAs could be used as an inhibitor of trichlorfon stress in fish.