College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, People's Republic of China.
Heilongjiang Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Pharmaceutical Development. Faculty of Basic Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, 600 Chang Jiang Road, Xiang Fang District, Harbin, People's Republic of China.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2020 Apr;27(11):11596-11607. doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-07743-2. Epub 2020 Jan 22.
Ammonia (NH) is a toxic, environmental pollutant, and irritant gas. Previous studies reported the toxic effects of NH which led to inflammation in various organs of chicken. However, the exact mechanism of NH-induced inflammation in chicken lymphoid organs bursa of fabricius (BF) and thymus is still elusive. Thus, this study was designed to investigate NH-induced inflammation in chicken BF and thymus. Experimental chickens were divided into low (5.0 mg/m), middle (10.0-15.0 mg/m), and high (20.0-45.0 mg/m) NH-treated groups. To investigate NH-induced inflammation in chicken's BF and thymus, histological observation, NO content and iNOS activity, inflammatory cytokine contents, and mRNA levels were performed by light microscopy, microplate spectrophotometer, ELISA assay, and qRT-PCR. The finding of the present study showed that NH exposure reduced BF and thymus index, increased nitric oxide (NO) content and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) activity, inflammatory cytokine contents and mRNA levels of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-10, IL-1β, IL-18, toll-like receptor 2A (TLR-2A), and iNOS. Histopathological examination revealed signs of inflammation including increased nuclear debris and vacuoles in the cortex and medulla of thymus and bursal follicles. Conclusively, our findings displayed that NH exposure affects the normal function of BF and thymus and led inflammation. The data provided a new ground for NH-induced toxicity and risk assessment in chicken production.
氨（NH）是一种有毒的环境污染物和刺激性气体。先前的研究报告了 NH 的毒性作用，导致鸡的各种器官发生炎症。然而，NH 诱导鸡淋巴器官法氏囊（BF）和胸腺炎症的确切机制仍不清楚。因此，本研究旨在研究 NH 诱导鸡 BF 和胸腺炎症的机制。实验鸡分为低（5.0mg/m）、中（10.0-15.0mg/m）和高（20.0-45.0mg/m）NH 处理组。通过光镜、微量板分光光度计、ELISA 测定、qRT-PCR 等方法，观察 NH 对鸡 BF 和胸腺的影响，检测组织形态学变化、NO 含量和诱导型一氧化氮合酶（iNOS）活性、炎症细胞因子含量和 mRNA 水平。本研究结果表明，NH 暴露降低了 BF 和胸腺指数，增加了一氧化氮（NO）含量和诱导型一氧化氮合酶（iNOS）活性，核因子-κB（NF-κB）、环氧化酶-2（Cox-2）、肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）、白细胞介素 6（IL-6）、IL-10、IL-1β、IL-18、Toll 样受体 2A（TLR-2A）和 iNOS 的炎症细胞因子含量和 mRNA 水平。组织病理学检查显示，胸腺皮质和髓质以及法氏囊滤泡的核碎片和空泡增加，有炎症迹象。综上所述，本研究结果表明 NH 暴露影响 BF 和胸腺的正常功能，并导致炎症。该研究结果为 NH 诱导鸡生产中毒性和风险评估提供了新的依据。
