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Germanium Reduces Inflammatory Damage in Mammary Glands During Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Mastitis in Mice

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Abstract

Ge is a trace element needed for good nutrition and health protection in animals and humans. Ge can be consumed by drinking or eating or administered by injection and transferred with the blood to exert pharmacological activities. The blood is important in the formation of milk. Mastitis is a serious health hazard in animals and humans. The present study explored the effect of Ge on mastitis and the potential underlying mechanism. A mastitis mouse model was established with LPS. mMECs were prepared for study in vitro. Histopathological changes showed that Ge had a protective effect on mammary gland tissues. Ge inhibited MPO activity to reduce inflammatory cell infiltration during mastitis. ELISA and qPCR results for tissues and cells showed that the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 was decreased and that of IL-10 was increased by Ge in a dose-dependent manner in mastitis. An analysis of protein phosphorylation was performed with sandwich ELISAs for both tissues and mMECs. The results showed that Ge significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of IκB, NF-κB p65, p38, ERK, and JNK, which was dramatically increased by LPS. These results demonstrate that Ge has an inhibitory effect on inflammation that protects mammary gland tissues by inhibiting NF-κB and MAPK pathway activation and reducing TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 expression. Ge may be an effective clinical treatment for mastitis and other inflammatory diseases.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31602066) and Heilongjiang PostDoctoral Financial Assistance (LBH-Z16017).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Animal Science and Technology College, Jilin Agricultural Science and Technology University, Jilin, 132101, People’s Republic of China

    Yong-sheng Wang & Guo-qing Teng

  2. College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 132101, People’s Republic of China

    Han Zhou & Chun-liu Dong

Authors
  1. Yong-sheng Wang
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  2. Guo-qing Teng
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  3. Han Zhou
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  4. Chun-liu Dong
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Correspondence to Yong-sheng Wang.

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All procedures were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Jilin University, according to the Guidelines for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.

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Wang, Ys., Teng, Gq., Zhou, H. et al. Germanium Reduces Inflammatory Damage in Mammary Glands During Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Mastitis in Mice. Biol Trace Elem Res 198, 617–626 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02106-x

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