Selenium-enriched yeast mitigates atrazine-induced renal ion homeostasis dysregulation via regulating aquaporins in Japanese Quails.

Atrazine (ATR), a widely applied herbicide, poses health risks to animals and humans owing to its environmental persistence and bioaccumulation. Kidney is a target organ of ATR, and renal ion disturbance is a major effect of ATR-induced nephrotoxicity. Selenium-enriched yeast (Yeast-Se) is an organic selenium source with high bioavailability and antioxidant properties that protects against chemical-induced organ damage. This study aimed to explore investigate the protective effect of Yeast-Se on ATR-induced renal injury in Japanese quails. In this study, quails were randomly distributed into four groups: Control group (basal diet), ATR group (basal diet + 500 mg/kg B.W. ATR), ATR + Se group (500 mg/kg B.W. ATR + 0.3 mg/ kg of Yeast-Se), and Yeast-Se group (0.3 mg/kg of Yeast-Se). After 28 days of treatment, Yeast-Se supplementation effectively restored kidney structural and functional damage caused by ATR. Renal Na⁺ and Cl⁻ levels were significantly increased after the treatment of ATR, whereas K⁺, Ca²⁺and Mg²⁺levels decreased. Notably, Yeast-Se could relieve ATR-induced nephrotoxicity via upregulating Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase activity, downregulating Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺-ATPase activity and controlling aquaporin (AQP) subunit expression. These findings collectively suggested that Yeast-Se has strong potential ameliorative impact against ATR induced renal ionic homeostasis disturbance by modulating AQPs expression.