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Chromium(III) Nanoparticles Affect Hormone and Immune Responses in Heat-Stressed Rats

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Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of chromium nanoparticles (CrNano) on the hormone and immune responses of rats in heat stress condition. A total of 80 male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly assigned to four dietary treatment groups (n = 20). The first group was offered a basal diet as a control. The second, third, and fourth groups received basal diet supplemented with 150, 300, and 450 μg/kg Cr, respectively, in the form of CrNano. At the end of the 8-week trial, growth performance, food utilization, and sera concentrations of hormones, immunoglobulins, and alexins were determined. Lymphocyte proliferation activity, antibody response to injected sheep red blood cells (SRBCs), and phagocytosis of peritoneal macrophages were determined by 3H-thymidine uptake method, plaque-forming cells (PFC) assay, and ingesting chicken red blood cells test, respectively. The results indicated that rats that received CrNano exhibited no changes in growth rate and food efficiency compared to the control group. However, dietary supplementation of 150, 300, and 450 μg/kg Cr from CrNano significantly decreased serum concentrations of insulin and cortisol, increased sera levels of insulin-like growth factor I and immunoglobulin G, and enhanced the lymphoproliferative response, anti-SRBC PFC response, and phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages. These results suggest that dietary supplementation of Cr as CrNano affects hormone and immune status in heat-stressed rats.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Southern Medical University, No. 1838, Guangzhou Avenue North, Guangzhou, 510515, People’s Republic of China

    Longying Zha, Suxia Sun, Hong Deng, Haiji Luo & Wanli Li

  2. Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100094, People’s Republic of China

    Jingwen Zeng

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  1. Longying Zha
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  2. Jingwen Zeng
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  3. Suxia Sun
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  4. Hong Deng
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  6. Wanli Li
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Correspondence to Longying Zha.

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All authors listed have contributed to the work and have agreed to submit the manuscript to Biological Trace Element Research. The manuscript is original, has not been published before, and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.

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Zha, L., Zeng, J., Sun, S. et al. Chromium(III) Nanoparticles Affect Hormone and Immune Responses in Heat-Stressed Rats. Biol Trace Elem Res 129, 157–169 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-008-8282-9

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