Astilbin Attenuates Cadmium-Induced Adipose Tissue Damage by Inhibiting NF-κB Pathways and Regulating the Expression...

Cadmium (Cd) can damage tissues by inducing oxidative stress, lymphocyte infiltration, and inflammation in these sites. Meanwhile, astilbin (Ast) is an antioxidant agent. At present, only a few mechanisms of Cd-induced adipose tissue damage have been described. Herein, we assessed the potential protective effects and the molecular mechanism underlying the antioxidant properly of Ast after Cd intake in chicken adipose tissue. In this study, a total of 160 7-day-old roosters were randomly divided into four groups. Roosters were fed with a basic diet (C group), Ast 40 mg/kg (Ast group), CdCl₂ 150 mg/kg + Ast 40 mg/kg (Cd/Ast group), and CdCl₂ 150 mg/kg (Cd group) for 60 days. We found that Cd intake changed the morphology and structure of adipose tissues and decreased the expression of several antioxidants, including total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), but increased those of oxidative stress markers including malondialdehyde (MDA), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), NO, and H2O2. Cd further activated the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway and increased the expression of the inflammation-related mediators, interleukin 1beta (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 8 (IL-8), interleukin 10 (IL-10), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), iNOS, prostaglandin E synthase (PTGES), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ). Cd-induced oxidative stress upregulated the expression of three heat shock proteins (HSPs), including HSP27, HSP70, and HSP90. Summarily, Cd causes oxidative stress-mediated tissue damage by activating the NF-κB pathway, promoting inflammation and upregulating the expression of HSPs. However, Ast supplementation modulates oxidative stress in adipose tissue by inhibiting inflammation mediated by the NF-κB pathway and regulating the expression of HSPs.