Cadmium (Cd) can cause animal organism damage, but there have been few studies on the damage of cadmium to the immune organs of birds. Most fungal polysaccharide has antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects. The experimental study investigated the effects of fungal polysaccharide (Agaricus blazei Murill polysaccharide and Ganoderma luciduccharide) on the oxidative damage of central immune organs (thymus and bursa of Fabricius) and on the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway in cadmium-poisoned chickens. The results showed that Agaricus blazei polysaccharide and Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide can reduce cadmium content, TLR4 expression, inflammatory factor (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α) content, and lipid peroxidation product MDA content and increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes SOD and GSH-Px in thymus and bursa of cadmium poisoning chickens. Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide could decrease the expression of TLR4, IL-1β, and IL-6 in cadmium poisoning peripheral blood lymphocytes of chicken, and TLR4 inhibitor had the same effect. The results demonstrated the protective effects of Agaricus blazei Murill polysaccharide and Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides on the damage of the central immune organs of chickens caused by cadmium poisoning were closely related to the TLR4 signaling pathway and oxidative stress.
Keywords: Antioxidants; Cadmium; Chicken; Fungal polysaccharide; Immune organs; TLR4 signaling pathway.