Selenium Nanoparticles Improved Intestinal Health Through Modulation of the NLRP3 Signaling Pathway

Yanhong Chen; Wei Wu; Huajin Zhou; Xingbo Liu; Shu Li; Yanbing Guo; Yuxin Li; Yongqiang Wang; Jianmin Yuan

doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.907386

Selenium Nanoparticles Improved Intestinal Health Through Modulation of the NLRP3 Signaling Pathway

Front Nutr. 2022 Jul 5:9:907386. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.907386. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Yanhong Chen¹, Wei Wu¹, Huajin Zhou¹, Xingbo Liu¹, Shu Li¹, Yanbing Guo², Yuxin Li³, Yongqiang Wang⁴, Jianmin Yuan¹

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
² College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
³ Beijing Wahmix Bio-Technology Co., Ltd., Tangshan, China.
⁴ Microbiology and Immunology Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) play important roles in promoting animal health, however, their impact on intestinal health remains elusive. This study was intended to evaluate the effects of different doses of SeNPs on the intestinal health, especially the development of goblet cells in the broiler jejunum. A total of 480 1-day-old Arbor Acres broilers were randomly allotted to 5 treatments with 6 replications of 16 chicks each. Birds were fed with low selenium corn-soybean meal-based diets supplemented with 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, or 0.4 mg/kg of SeNPs. On d 21, dietary supplementation of SeNPs effectively reduced the mortality of broilers. The villus height and the villus height/crypt depth ratio of the jejunum showed significant quadratic effects with the increasing concentration of SeNPs (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression of zonula occluden-1 (ZO-1), ZO-2, claudin-3, and claudin-5 in the jejunum decreased linearly with the increasing dose of SeNPs (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression levels of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), IL-18, and the concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the jejunum decreased linearly with the increase of SeNPs concentration (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the number of goblet cells in the jejunum was significantly increased by adding 0.1 and 0.4 mg/kg SeNPs(P < 0.05). In addition, the mRNA expression of Mucin2 (Muc2) showed a significant quadratic relationship that increased after adding 0.1 mg/kg SeNPs (P < 0.05). Dietary SeNPs also linearly reduced the expression of v-myc avian myelocytomatosis viral oncogene homolog (c-myc) (P < 0.05). The mean density of TUNEL positive cells in the 0.2 and 0.4 mg/kg SeNPs groups were lower than the control group (P < 0.05). Similarly, the mRNA expression levels of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X (Bax), NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-1 (Caspase-1), toll-like receptor-2 (TLR-2), and myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) in the jejunum decreased linearly with the increase of SeNPs concentration (P < 0.05). Results show that supplementation with 0.2 mg/kg SeNPs may decrease intestinal oxidative stress and inflammation by modifying the activation of NLRP3 signaling pathway, which can effectively promote intestinal goblet cells of 21-day-old broilers.

Keywords: NLRP3; broiler; goblet cells; intestine; selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs).