Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (2): 534-547.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2025.02.006

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Research Progress on Aluminum-induced Immunotoxicity

CHEN Gengxu(), XU Jinfeng, ZHANG Hongling, WANG Ben, YIN Baishuang, ZHU Yanzhu*()   

  1. Animal Science and Technology College, Jilin Agriculture Science and Technology University, Jilin 132101, China
  • Received:2024-03-18 Online:2025-02-23 Published:2025-02-26
  • Contact: ZHU Yanzhu E-mail:2932791560@qq.com;zyzzu@126.com

Abstract:

Aluminum (Al) is one of the most abundant metallic elements on Earth and is widely used in production and life due to its excellent properties. The accumulation of Al in the environment is gradually increasing, and Al pollution has become one of the major problems facing human society. The accumulation of Al in the body, resulting from long-term chronic Al intake, can damage many organs such as the heart, liver, spleen, kidney, and brain. Immunotoxicity is one of the most sensitive health effects of Al exposure and has attracted widespread attention. This paper reviews the toxic effects of Al exposure on the spleen, bursa of Fabricius, bone marrow, intestinal mucosa, lymph, and thymus, and summarizes the mechanisms of Al-induced immunotoxicity. The accumulation of Al in animals can damage immune organs, lead to apoptosis of immune cells, induce oxidative stress, trigger the expression of inflammatory factors, disrupt the metabolism of micronutrients, and suppress immune function. Pathological damage and oxidative stress induced by Al exposure are important pathological mechanisms of Al-induced immunosuppression, yet the molecular mechanisms of immunotoxicity are not yet systematically understood and require further exploration.

Key words: aluminum toxicity, spleen, bursa of Fabricius, histopathological, oxidative stress

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