Protective effect of selenomethionine on rabbit testicular injury induced by Aflatoxin B1

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2024-06, Vol.927, p.171973-171973, Article 171973
• Main Authors: Zhang, Zhikai, Zhang, Ziqiang, Liu, Shiyang, Wei, Shixiao, Wei, Lan, Zhu, Xuemin, Ding, Ke, Liu, Yumei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aflatoxin B1; Aflatoxin B1 - toxicity; Animals; Apoptosis - drug effects; Luteinizing Hormone - blood; Male; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Protective Agents - pharmacology; Rabbit; Rabbits; Selenomethionine; Selenomethionine - pharmacology; Testicular Diseases - chemically induced; Testicular Diseases - prevention & control; Testis; Testis - drug effects; Testosterone - blood
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171973

The aim of this study was to investigate the alleviating effect of selenomethionine (SeMet) on aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)-induced testicular injury in rabbits. Twenty-five 90-d-old rabbits were randomly divided into 5 groups (the control group, the AFB1 group, the 0.2 mg/kg SeMet + AFB1 group, the 0.4 mg/kg SeMet + AFB1 group and the 0.6 mg/kg SeMet + AFB1 group). After 1 d of the experiment, the SeMet-treated groups were fed 0.2 mg/kg SeMet, 0.4 mg/kg SeMet, or 0.6 mg/kg SeMet daily, and the remaining two groups were fed a normal diet for 30 d. On Day 31, all rabbits in the model group and the three treatment groups were fed 0.5 mg/kg AFB1 for 21 d. The levels of testosterone (T), luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) in rabbit plasma were detected. Rabbit semen was collected, and its quality was evaluated. Pathological changes in rabbit testes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The expression of related proteins in testicular tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and western blot (WB) analysis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were used to detect oxidative stress-related indices and inflammatory factors in testicular tissue. The results showed that AFB1 can induce oxidative stress and inflammation to activate the p38/MSK/NF-κB signalling pathway, mediate apoptosis, inhibit the proliferation and differentiation of testicular cells, destroy the integrity of the blood–testis barrier (BTB) and the normal structure of the testis, and reduce the content of sex hormones and semen quality. SeMet pretreatment significantly alleviated testicular injury oxidative stress, and the inflammatory response in rabbits. Thus, we demonstrated that SeMet restores AFB1-induced testicular toxicity by inhibiting the p38/MSK/NF-κB signalling pathway. In addition, in this study, 0.4 mg/kg SeMet had the most impactful effect. [Display omitted] •Aflatoxins B1 induced testicular injury and decreased semen quality in rabbits.•Aflatoxins B1 can induce oxidative stress in rabbit testis.•Selenomethionine can promote cell proliferation and alleviate apoptosis induced by aflatoxins B1.•Selenomethionine reduces aflatoxin-B1 induced testicular injury by regulating p38/MSK/NF-κB signalling pathway