Liu Longhai, Qian Xiaoran, Chao Mengling, Zhao Yijiao, Huang Junyi, Wang Taichu, Sun Fan, Ling Erjun, Song Hongsheng
School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.
Sericultural Research Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, China.
Arch Insect Biochem Physiol. 2018 Oct;99(2):e21480. doi: 10.1002/arch.21480. Epub 2018 Jul 5.
Aluminum (Al) is an important environmental metal factor that can be potentially associated with pathological changes leading to neurotoxicity. The silkworm, Bombyx mori, is an important economic insect and has also been used as a model organism in various research areas. However, the toxicity of Al on silkworm physiology has not been reported. Here, we comprehensively investigate the toxic effects of Al on the silkworm, focusing on its effects on viability and development, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and the expression of presenilin and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) in BmE cells and silkworm larvae. BmE cell viability decreased after treatment with aluminum chloride (AlCl ) in both dose- and time-dependent manners. When AlCl solution was injected into newly hatched fifth instar larvae, both larval weight gain and survival rate were significantly decreased in a manner correlating with AlCl dose and developmental stage. Furthermore, when BmE cells and silkworm larvae were exposed to AlCl , SOD activity decreased significantly relative to the control group, whereas presenilin expression increased more than twofold. Additionally, CREB and phosphorylated CREB (p-CREB) expression in the heads of fifth instar larvae decreased by 28.0% and 50.0%, respectively. These results indicate that Al inhibits the growth and development of silkworms in vitro and in vivo, altering SOD activity and the expressions of presenilin, CREB, and p-CREB. Our data suggest that B. mori can serve as a model animal for studying Al-induced neurotoxicity or neurodegeneration.
铝（Al）是一种重要的环境金属因素，可能与导致神经毒性的病理变化相关。家蚕（Bombyx mori）是一种重要的经济昆虫，也已在各个研究领域用作模式生物。然而，铝对家蚕生理毒性的研究尚未见报道。在此，我们全面研究了铝对家蚕的毒性作用，重点关注其对家蚕活力与发育、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性以及家蚕胚胎细胞（BmE细胞）和家蚕幼虫中早老素及环磷酸腺苷反应元件结合蛋白（CREB）表达的影响。用氯化铝（AlCl₃）处理后，BmE细胞活力呈剂量和时间依赖性下降。当将AlCl₃溶液注射到刚孵化的五龄幼虫体内时，幼虫体重增加量和存活率均显著下降，且与AlCl₃剂量和发育阶段相关。此外，当BmE细胞和家蚕幼虫暴露于AlCl₃时，相对于对照组，SOD活性显著降低，而早老素表达增加了两倍多。此外，五龄幼虫头部中CREB和磷酸化CREB（p-CREB）的表达分别下降了28.0%和50.0%。这些结果表明，铝在体外和体内均抑制家蚕的生长和发育，改变SOD活性以及早老素、CREB和p-CREB的表达。我们的数据表明，家蚕可作为研究铝诱导的神经毒性或神经退行性变的模式动物。
