Low dose of zearalenone inhibited the proliferation of porcine prospermatogonia and transformed the physiology through cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction

Jingjing Wang; Hairui Tian; Hongyang Liu; Jian Wen; Ruihua Huang; Kang Zou; Liming Hou; Pinghua Li

doi:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2023.08.004

Low dose of zearalenone inhibited the proliferation of porcine prospermatogonia and transformed the physiology through cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction

Theriogenology. 2023 Nov:211:49-55. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2023.08.004. Epub 2023 Aug 7.

Authors

Jingjing Wang¹, Hairui Tian¹, Hongyang Liu¹, Jian Wen¹, Ruihua Huang², Kang Zou¹, Liming Hou³, Pinghua Li⁴

Affiliations

¹ College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China; Stem Cell Research and Translation Center, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
² College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China; Key Laboratory of Evaluation and Utilization of Livestock and Poultry Resources (Pig) of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
³ College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China; Key Laboratory of Evaluation and Utilization of Livestock and Poultry Resources (Pig) of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China. Electronic address: liminghou@njau.edu.cn.
⁴ College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China; Stem Cell Research and Translation Center, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China; Key Laboratory of Evaluation and Utilization of Livestock and Poultry Resources (Pig) of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China. Electronic address: lipinghua718@njau.edu.cn.

PMID: 37572600
DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2023.08.004

Abstract

Zearalenone (ZEA) is a prevalent mycotoxin functions as an endocrine disrupter to the reproductive systems of farm animals, especially in pigs. To evaluate the effect and the underlying molecular changes that occurred when the porcine germline stem cells were exposed to ZEA, prospermatogonia (ProSGs) were enriched and treated with a gradient concentration (0-10 μM) of ZEA for 2-8 days. Our results showed that the ZEA treatment inhibited the proliferation of ProSGs in a dose-dependent manner with a critical concentration at 1 μM. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the differentially expressed genes mainly concentrated on the molecular function of positive regulation of response to stimulus, and the most enriching pathway is cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. ZEA exposure decreased a buck of cytokine/chemokine expression involved in the inflammatory response and stem cells maintenance/self-renewal, moreover, some energy expenditure and anti-apoptosis genes were also down-regulated, while the up-regulated genes were mainly connected with the innate immunity. These data demonstrate that ZEA induces multiply cellular damage and may eventually do harm to the health and fertility of animals.

Keywords: Cytokine; Pig; Prospermatogonia; RNA-seq; Zearalenone.

MeSH terms

Animals
Cell Proliferation
Cytokines / genetics
Gene Expression Profiling / veterinary
Mycotoxins* / pharmacology
Swine
Zearalenone* / toxicity

Substances

Zearalenone
Cytokines
Mycotoxins