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Effects of Se and Cd Co-treatment on the Morphology, Oxidative Stress, and Ion Concentrations in the Ovaries of Laying Hens

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Abstract

This study aims at revealing the effects of the combined treatment of selenium and cadmium on ovary morphology, oxidative stress, and 28 kinds of ion concentrations in laying hens. In this experiment, 128 healthy 31-week-old chickens were selected and divided into four treatment groups, three of which were separately fed the basic diets supplemented with either Se or Cd or both Se and Cd for 90 days, and the remaining group was fed the basic diet and treated as a control. The chickens were sacrificed for collecting ovarian tissues. Morphological structure and ultrastructure analysis of ovaries in the Cd-treated group revealed ovarian damage, with decreased activities of SOD and GPx, along with increased levels of MDA and H2O2. Cd treatment also resulted in disturbances in ion balance. The concentrations of Ca, Ti, Cu, Zn, and Ba were significantly reduced, while the concentrations of Fe, Mo, and Cd were significantly increased when compared with the control group. Interestingly, the damages caused by cadmium were alleviated in the Se+Cd-treated group. These results indicate that selenium can alleviate cadmium-induced ovarian damages.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2016M591505) and the Heilongjiang Postdoctoral Fund (Grant No. LBH-Z14223). All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, People’s Republic of China

    Jianhong Li & Lu Xing

  2. College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, People’s Republic of China

    Runxiang Zhang

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  1. Jianhong Li
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  2. Lu Xing
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Correspondence to Jianhong Li or Runxiang Zhang.

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All procedures used in the present study were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Northeast Agricultural University.

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Li, J., Xing, L. & Zhang, R. Effects of Se and Cd Co-treatment on the Morphology, Oxidative Stress, and Ion Concentrations in the Ovaries of Laying Hens. Biol Trace Elem Res 183, 156–163 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-017-1125-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-017-1125-9

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