Abstract:The mechanism of the lectin in edible mushroom Agrocybe aegerita (Agrocybe aegerita lectin, AAL) underlying its action on the liver injury in C57BL/6 mice was investigated. C57BL/6 mice were injected by AAL through the tail vein. According to different times of treatment, the mice were divided into three groups: 0 h, 6 h and 9 h, and the serum ALT (Alanine aminotransferase ) and AST (Aspartate aminotransferase) were measured, and the liver tissue sections were stained with HE, and the expression of liver cytokines were detected by RT-PCR, and he liver cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. At 6 h and 9 h groups, the 6 h and 9 h injection of AAL into the tail vein of mice significantly increased the serum ALT and AST (p<0.001); HE staining of liver tissue sections showed obvious liver damage, with necrotic areas and lymphocyte infiltration. Compared with the 0 h group, the serum ALT and AST of mice were significantly increased (p<0.001); the mRNA expression of cytokines IL-10, IL-33, IL-27, IFN-γ and TNF-α in the liver of the 6 h mouse group significantly increased by 25.14 times, 4.62 times, 5.14 times, 16.51 times and 28.10 times, respectively. The proportions of T cells, NKT cells, and CD8+T cells in the liver of the 6 h group significantly increased from 27.92% to 45.95% (p<0.05), 2.46% to 6.36% (p<0.05), and 17% to 27.15% (p<0.05), respectively. The proportions of activated CD69+T cells and CD69+CD8+T cells in the liver of the 6 h group significantly increased from 10.02% to 18.28% (p<0.01), and 5.96% to 16.20% (p<0.01), respectively. These results showed that AAL induced liver injury in mice, activated CD8+T cells, and significantly upregulated the mRNA expression of the liver cytokines IL-10, IL-33, IL-27, IFN-γ and TNF-α, suggesting that there is a need to consider the dose of the fungal lectin for safe use.
