Selenium is an essential
micronutrient that plays an important role in immunity. However, the mechanism that
Selenium modulates
mastitis is not fully clear. In this experiment, we investigated whether
selenium can inhibit the activation of the NLRP3
inflammasome in a mouse model of Staphylococcus aureus-induced
mastitis. Eighty BALB/c female mice were fed with experimental
Selenium deficiency basal diet for 2 weeks to achieve the purpose of
selenium consumption until pregnancy. Pregnant mice were randomly divided into four groups (control group;
selenium supplement group;
Staphylococcus aureus infection group and
Staphylococcus aureus infection after
selenium supplement group). Twenty-four hours after challenging, all mice were euthanized and mammary tissue samples were aseptically collected. Through pathological staining, western blot analysis, real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, and
enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay, the regulation effect of
Selenium on NLRP3
inflammasome was detected. The result showed that compared with the control group,
selenium significantly inhibited the expression of NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1, Caspase-1 p20, and Pro-IL-1β (p < 0.01). Meanwhile the
mRNA expression and release of IL-1β was suppressed in the treatment group compared with
Staphylococcus aureus infection group (p < 0.01). Therefore, these results suggest that dietary
selenium can attenuate Staphylococcus aureus
mastitis by inhibition of the NLRP3
inflammasome.