estimation of metal-induced disturbance in chicken gut-oviduct chemokine circuit.

BACKGROUNDS

Heavy metals affect various processes in the embryonic development. Embryonic fibroblasts (EFs) play key roles in the innate recognition and wound healing in reproductive tissues.

METHODS

Based on the relative toxicities of different inorganic metals and inorganic nonmetallic compounds against murine and chicken EF cells, mechanistic estimations were performed based on transcriptomic analyses.

RESULTS

Lead (II) acetate induced preferential injuries in the chicken EF and mechanistic analyses using transcriptome revealed that chemokine receptor-associated events are potently involved in metal-induced adverse actions. As an early sentinel of metal exposure, the precision-cut intestine slices (PCIS) induced the expression of chemokines including CXCLi1 or CXCLi2, which were potent gut-derived factors that activate chemokine receptors in reproductive organs after circulation.

CONCLUSION

EF-selective metals can be estimated to trigger the chemokine circuit in the gut-reproductive axis of chickens. This methodology using PCIS-EF culture could be used as a promising alternate platform for the reproductive immunotoxicological assessment.