Abstract
Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) is one of the most widely used flame retardants that can infect domestic and wildlife through contaminated feed. Nano‑selenium (Nano-Se) has the advantage of enhancing the anti-oxidation of cells. Nonetheless, it remains uncertain whether Nano-Se can alleviate vascular Endothelial cells damage caused by BDE-209 exposure in chickens. Therefore, we established a model with 60 1-day-old chickens, and administered BDE-209 intragastric at a ratio of 400 mg/kg bw/d, and mixed Nano-Se intervention at a ratio of 1 mg/kg in the feed. The results showed that BDE-209 could induce histopathological and ultrastructural changes. Additionally, exposure to BDE-209 led to cardiovascular endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), oxidative stress and thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP)-pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) pathway activation, ultimately resulting in pyroptosis. Using the ERS inhibitor 4-PBA in Chicken arterial endothelial cells (PAECs) can significantly reverse these changes. The addition of Nano-Se can enhance the body's antioxidant capacity, inhibit the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome, and reduce cellular pyroptosis. These results suggest that Nano-Se can alleviate the pyroptosis of cardiovascular endothelial cells induced by BDE-209 through ERS-TXNIP-NLRP3 pathway. This study provides new insights into the toxicity of BDE-209 in the cardiovascular system and the therapeutic effects of Nano-Se.