Chicken heterophils extracellular traps act as early effectors against cyclopiazonic acid dependent upon NADPH oxidase, ROS and glycolysis.

Cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) is a secondary metabolite produced by Aspergillus and Penicillium, which is present in contaminated crops and food, causing severe toxicity to humans and animals. Heterophil extracellular traps (HETs) are a novel host innate immune mechanism of chicken heterophils against pathogen infection. However, whether CPA can cause immunotoxicity of heterophils on HETs release remains unclear. Here, we attempt to detect the effects of CPA on HETs release, and further investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes. We exposed heterophils to 2.5, 5, 10 μM CPA for 90 min. The results showed that CPA induced the release of HETs in heterophils, consisting of DNA-modified citrullinated histone 3 and elastase. The quantitative analysis of HETs content was positively correlated with CPA concentration. CPA also promoted reactive oxygen species production and phosphorylation of ERK and p38. In addition, CPA-triggered HETs formation was reduced by NADPH oxidase, ERK, and p38 signaling pathway and glycolysis inhibitors, indicating that CPA-induced HETs were related to the production of ROS dependent on NADPH oxidase, ERK, and p38 signaling pathways, as well as glycolysis. Our study describes the underlying mechanism of CPA-induced HETs release, which may provide a further understanding of the immunotoxicology of CPA poisoning.