title: Lipopolysaccharide mediates immuno-pathological alterations in young chicken liver through TLR4 signaling.
abstract: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces acute liver injury and the complex mechanisms include the activation of toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway in many species. However, immuno-pathological changes during TLR4 signaling under LPS stress in acute liver injury is poorly understood in avian species. The present investigation was therefore carried out to evaluate these alterations in TLR4 signaling pathway during acute liver injury in young chickens.
  
  
  
  After intraperitoneal injection of LPS or saline, liver samples were harvested at 0, 2, 6, 12, 24, 36, 72 and 120 h (n = 6 at each time point) and the microstructures were analyzed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and caspase-3 enzyme activity was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), single stranded DNA (ssDNA) and TLR4 protein expressions were determined by immunohistochemistry. Gene expressions of PCNA, caspase-3, caspase-8, TLR4 and its downstream molecules were analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). LPS injection induced significantly higher ALT activity, severe fatty degeneration, necrotic symptoms, ballooning degeneration, congestion, enhanced inflammatory cell infiltration in liver sinusoids, decreased proliferation, increased apoptosis and significant up-regulation in TLR4 and its downstream molecules (MyD88, NF-κB, TNF-α, IL-1β and TGF-β) expression at different time points.
  
  
  
  This study indicated that TLR4 signaling and its downstream molecules along with certain cytokines play a key role in acute liver injury in young chickens. Hence, our findings provided novel information about the histopathological, proliferative and apoptotic alterations along with changes in ALT and caspase-3 activities associated with acute liver injury induced by Salmonella LPS in avian species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Xi-Yao
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.|Section of Anatomy and Histology, Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (CVAS) Jhang, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Abdur Rahman
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Ansari
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Hai-Bo
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Ning-Ya
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Jian
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Ke-Mei
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.|Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, USA.
authors.forename: Juming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China. lhz219@mail.hzau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hua-Zhen
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000276:immunology*; D002645:Chickens / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000276:immunology; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology*; D053594:Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88 / Q000378:metabolism; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D012475:Salmonella / Q000276:immunology*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4 / Q000378:metabolism*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D053594:Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88; D016328:NF-kappa B; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D053148:Caspase 3
keywords: Acute injury; Chicken; Lipopolysaccharide; Liver; Toll-like receptor 4