The differential impact of iron on ferroptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammatory reaction in head-kidney macrophages of yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) with and without ammonia stress

This study aimed to investigate the effect of iron on indicators of fish exposed to ammonia, specifically on the three aspects mentioned above. The head kidney macrophages of yellow catfish were randomly assigned to one of four groups: CON (normal control), AM (0.046 mg L-1 total ammonia nitrogen), Fe (20 μg mL-1 FeSO4), and Fe+AM (20 μg mL-1 FeSO4, 0.046 mg L-1 total ammonia nitrogen). The cells were pretreated with FeSO4 for 6 hours followed by ammonia for 24 hours. The study found that iron supplementation led to an excessive accumulation of iron and ROS in macrophages, but it did not strongly induce ferroptosis, oxidative stress, or inflammatory responses. This was supported by a decrease in T-AOC, and the downregulation of SOD, as well as an increase in GSH levels and the upregulation of TFR1, CAT and Nrf2. Furthermore, the mRNA expression of HIF-1, p53 and the anti-inflammatory M2 macrophage marker Arg-1 were upregulated. The results also showed that iron supplementation increased the progression of some macrophages from early apoptosis to late apoptotic cells. However, the combined treatment of iron and ammonia resulted in a stronger intracellular ferroptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammatory reaction compared to either treatment alone. Additionally, there was a noticeable increase in necrotic cells in the Fe+AM and AM groups. These findings indicate that the biological functions of iron in macrophages of fish may vary inconsistently in the presence or absence of a...
Source: Developmental and Comparative Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Source Type: research