Protective Effects Of Ganoderma Lucidum Triterpenes On Cadmium-induced Liver And Spleen Damage In Chicken

Cadmium（Cd）exposure can cause liver and spleen toxicity through oxidative stress and inflammatory response.Ganoderma lucidum triterpenes（GLT）has been isolated and exhibit antioxidant activity and immunoregulatory effect.The aim of this study was to investigate the protective role of Ganoderma lucidum triterpenes against Cd-induced damage in chicken liver and spleen.80 healthy 7-day-old Hy-Line male chickens were randomly divided into 4 groups,and each group consisted of 20 chickens:Normal control was fed daily with full feed and 0.5-mL distilled water per day via oral gavage;Cd-treated group was fed daily with full feed that contained 140 mg/kg CdCl₂ and 0.5-mL distilled water per day by gavage;Ganoderma lucidum triterpenes-treated group was fed daily with full feed with 0.5-mL ABP（20 mg/mL）solution per day via oral gavage;Treatment group was fed daily with full feed containing 140 mg/kg CdCl₂ and0.5-mL ABP（20 mg/mL）solution per day by gavage.The feeding experiment lasted for 60 days,and the experimental animals had free access to food and water.On the 20,40 and 60 days,5chickens were randomly selected.After weighing,they were sacrificed.The liver and spleen organ index,The contents of Cd in the liver and spleen,activities of superoxide dismutase（SOD）and glutathione peroxidase（GSH-Px）,malondialdehyde（MDA）production,messenger RNA（m RNA）levels and protein expressions of tumor necrosis factor-alpha（TNF-α）,interleukin-1 beta（IL-1β）,interleukin-6（IL-6）,Caspase-3,Bax and Bcl-2,and the histopathological changes of the liver and spleen were determined.The results indicated that the organ index of liver and spleen in the cadmium group was significantly higher than that of the control group（p<0.05）,and the activity of antioxidant enzyme（SOD,GSH-Px）was significantly lower than that of the control group（p<0.05）,and the content of MDA was significantly higher than that of the control group（p<0.05）,and the expression of TNF-α,IL-1βand IL-6 m RNA and protein was significantly higher than that of the control group（p<0.05）,and the expression of Caspase-3 and Bax m RNA and protein was significantly higher than that of the control group（p<0.05）,and the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly lower than that of the control group（p<0.05）.Accumulation of cadmium in the liver leads to impairment with cell malalignment and tumefaction,vacuolar degeneration,abundance of leukocyte infiltration.The pathological changes of spleen after cadmium poisoning showed a large number of lymphocytes decreased,red pulp,white pulp boundary are unclear,lymph nodes in the number of lymphocytes decreased,arranged in scattered.The results indicated that the organ index of liver and spleen in the Ganoderma lucidum triterpenes group was significantly lower than that of the cadmium group（p<0.05）,and the activity of antioxidant enzyme（SOD,GSH-Px）was significantly higher than that of the cadmium group（p<0.05）,and the content of MDA was significantly lower than that of the cadmium group（p<0.05）,and the expression of TNF-α,IL-1βand IL-6 m RNA and protein was significantly lower than that of the cadmium group（p<0.05）,and the expression of Caspase-3 and Bax m RNA and protein was significantly lower than that of the cadmium group（p<0.05）,and the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly higher than that of the cadmium group（p<0.05）.Results suggest that Ganoderma lucidum triterpenes for the mitigation of damage induced by cadmium in chicken liver and spleen through enhancing antioxidant activity and alleviating Inflammatory response.The study provided a theoretical basis for the study of active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine,and provided a new idea for the prevention and cure of cadmium poisoning.