Effect of Copper Toxicity on Peripheral Blood T-lymphocyte in the Chicken / 中国兽医学报

ABSTRACT

The experiment was conducted to examine the effect of copper toxicity on the peripheral blood T-lymphocyte using the flow cytometry(FCM) and ANAE.180 one-day-old Avian broilers were divided randomly into three groups,and fed diets as follows(1)Controls(Cu 11.97 mg/kg diet) and (2)copper toxic(Cu 650 mg/kg diet,copper toxic group Ⅰ;Cu 850 mg/kg diet,copper toxic group Ⅱ) for six weeks.The ANAE positive ratios of the peripheral blood T-lymphocytes were much lower in the two copper toxic groups than in control group from 1 to 6 weeks of age(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Also,there was significant difference between copper toxic groups Ⅰ and Ⅱ at 1,3,5 and 6 weeks of age(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).CD+4 T cell numbers reduced from 2 to 6 weeks of age in both copper toxic group Ⅰ and copper toxic group Ⅱ as compared with those of control group(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).At the same time,there was significant difference between copper toxic groups Ⅰ and Ⅱ at 6 weeks of age(P＜0.05).But the numbers of CD+8 T cell were not varied from 2 to 6 weeks of age in copper toxic groups Ⅰ and Ⅱ in comparison with those of control group(P＞0.05).The CD+4/CD+8 ratio was lower from 2 to 6 weeks of age in copper toxic groups Ⅰ and Ⅱ than in control group.The results showed that copper toxicity could suppress the development of T-lymphocytes and reduce the peripheral blood T-lymphocyte populations.Potential mechanisms underlying these observations are also discussed.