Protective effect of propolis on cadmium chloride induced toxicity in male Japanese quails

One of the biggest concerns in our food supply is heavy metal pollution, which poses a major threat to our ecology. Because of its numerous industrial applications, cadmium (Cd) is a significant heavy metal that is widely dispersed in the environment and recognized as a worldwide source of illness that adversely affects various body systems in humans and animals. Adequate new chelating drugs in conjunction with chemical cleaning and supportive treatment are necessary for patients suffering from cadmium poisoning. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the protective effects of propolis on CdCl₂-induced toxicity in male Japanese quails. One hundred, twenty-day-old, 100±5 gm weight, male Japanese quails were randomly divided into four equal groups: control (basal feed ad libitum with no additives), propolis-treated group (300 mg/L water), CdCl₂-exposed group (5 mg/kg feed), and propolis+CdCl₂-treated groups (same previous doses). The quails were exposed for 40 days under a 16/8-hour light/dark cycle. The results declared that CdCl₂ lowered the activities of antioxidant system, disturbed the hepatic, and renal biomarkers, and induced a vast array of notable
 
multiorgan histopathological alternations involving the liver, kidneys, testes, and lungs. Immunohistocheically, CdCl₂ upregulated the hepatic, renal, testicular, and pulmonary expression of caspase3 (casp3) and CYP2E1, while downregulated the expression of Bcl2 in these organs. Supplementation with propolis did not normalize the CdCl₂-induced histopathological changes but significantly lowered the severities and frequencies of the tissue lesions and recovered approximately the biochemical parameters toward the typical values. Additionally, propolis significantly regained the casp3, Bcl2, and CYP2E1 tissue expressions toward the values of the control group. It could be assumed that propolis is a promising feed additive for alleviating the CdCl₂-induced hepatic, renal, testicular, and pulmonary toxicity.