New insights into the interaction between duodenal toxicity and microbiota disorder under copper exposure in chicken: Involving in endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondrial toxicity

Copper (Cu) has been widely used in industrial agricultural production, but excess use can lead to toxic effect on host physiology, which poses a threaten to public hygiene. However, the relationship between gut microbiota and Cu-induced intestinal toxicity is unclear. Here, we identified that intestinal flora disturbance was related to duodenal toxicity under Cu exposure. We found that excess Cu disturbed gut microbiota homeostasis, resulting in Cu accumulation and intestinal damage. In addition, Cu considerably increased intestinal permeability by reducing expression of tight junction proteins (Claudlin-1, Occludin, and ZO-1). Meanwhile, Cu could induce endoplasmic reticulum stress, mitophagy, and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in the duodenum, with the evidence by the elevated levels of GRP78, GRP94, LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ and Caspase-3 protein expression. Correlation analysis showed that Melainabacteria was closely related to tight junction proteins and endoplasmic reticulum stress of duodenum, indicating that disturbance of intestinal flora may aggravate the toxic effect of Cu. Therefore, our results suggest that the destruction of intestinal flora induced by excessive Cu may further lead to intestinal barrier damage, ultimately leading to endoplasmic reticulum stress, mitophagy and apoptosis. This research provides a new insight into interpretation of the interrelationship between microbiota disorder and duodenal toxicity under Cu exposure.