Effects of Acute Diquat Poisoning on Liver Mitochondrial Apoptosis and Autophagy in Ducks

Abstract

Diquat (DQ) is an effective herbicide and is widely used in agriculture. Due to persistent and frequent applications, it can enter into aquatic ecosystem and induce toxic effects to exposed aquatic animals. The residues of DQ via food chain accumulate in different tissues of exposed animals including humans and cause adverse toxic effects. Therefore, it is crucial and important to understand the mechanisms of toxic effects of DQ in exposed animals. We used ducks as test specimens to know the effects of acute DQ poisoning on mechanisms of apoptosis and autophagy in liver tissues. Results on comparison of various indexes of visceral organs including histopathological changes, apoptosis, autophagy-related genes, and protein expression indicated the adverse effects of DQ on the liver. The results of our experimental trial showed that DQ induces non-significant toxic effects on pro-apoptotic factors like BAX, BAK1, TNF-α, caspase series, and p53. The results revealed that anti-apoptotic gene Parkin was significantly upregulated, while an upward trend was also observed for Bcl2, suggesting that involvement of the anti-apoptotic factors in ducklings plays an important role in DQ poisoning. Results showed that DQ significantly increased the protein expression level of the autophagy factor Beclin 1 in the liver. Results on key autophagy factors like LC3A, LC3B, and p62 showed an upward trend at gene level, while the protein expression level of both LC3B and p62 reduced that might be associated with process of translation affected by the pro-apoptotic components such as apoptotic protease that inhibits the occurrence of autophagy while initiating cell apoptosis. The above results indicate that DQ can induce cell autophagy and apoptosis and the exposed organism may resist the toxic effects of DQ by increasing anti-apoptotic factors.

Vanadium Induces Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Quality Control Disorder in the Heart of Ducks

“…In this paper, excessive V upregulated the mRNA and protein levels of Drp1 and MFF in the heart of ducks, and downregulated the mRNA and protein levels of OPA1, Mfn1, and Mfn2, which indicated that V promoted mitochondrial fission in the heart of ducks but inhibited mitochondrial fusion. In addition, there are mainly PINK1/Parkin, Bnip3/Nix, and FUNDC1 pathways to regulate mitophagy, and PINK1/Parkin pathway is closely related to the regulation of mitochondrial function ( 51 , 52 ). In this pathway, PINK1 selectively acts on the upstream of Parkin when mitochondria depolarize and accumulate on the damaged mitochondria to activate Parkin's translocation to the mitochondria, which then triggers mitophagy ( 53 ).…”

Analysis of Human microRNA Expression Profiling During Diquat-Induced Renal Proximal Tubular Epithelial Cell Injury

“…Diquat has been reported to be toxic to humans and animals and the damage caused by its toxic effects can be roughly classified into the following two types: 1 , 25 , 26 First, diquat produces direct contact burns in humans and animals, resulting in tissue necrosis, mucosal erosion, or hemorrhage. 1 , 26 , 27 Secondly, it also activates a reduction-oxidative process that generates ROS and RNS in cells, leading to oxidative stress, which in turn leads to cellular dysfunction. 1 , 26 It was previously found that diquat-induced superoxide damages mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum, initiates autophagy, and induces apoptosis.…”

“… 1 , 26 , 27 Secondly, it also activates a reduction-oxidative process that generates ROS and RNS in cells, leading to oxidative stress, which in turn leads to cellular dysfunction. 1 , 26 It was previously found that diquat-induced superoxide damages mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum, initiates autophagy, and induces apoptosis. 13 , 28 In this study, we found that diquat reduced the viability of HK-2 cells, and that apoptosis is triggered by HK-2 cell damage.…”

Selenium Yeast Mitigates Diquat-Induced Oxidative Stress in Rooster Testicles and Preserves Reproductive Performance

“…Notably, in the United States, between 1998 and 2013, 300 acute illnesses were associated with paraquat, while 144 were linked to DQ exposure, with herbicide spillage or splashing being a signi cant cause of such illnesses [17]. Furthermore, DQ exposure has been shown to damage multiple organs, including the kidneys, lungs, small intestines, liver, and central nervous system [18][19][20][21].…”