Quercetin Protects Blood–Brain Barrier Integrity via the PI3K/Akt/Erk Signaling Pathway in a Mouse Model of Meningitis Induced by <i>Glaesserella parasuis</i>
Peiyan Sun,
Yaqiong Yang,
Linrong Yang,
Yuanzhuo Qian,
Mingxia Liang,
Hongbo Chen,
Jing Zhang,
Yinsheng Qiu,
Ling Guo,
Shulin Fu
Affiliations
Peiyan Sun
Laboratory of Genetic Breeding, Reproduction and Precision Livestock Farming, School of Animal Science and Nutritional Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China
Yaqiong Yang
Laboratory of Genetic Breeding, Reproduction and Precision Livestock Farming, School of Animal Science and Nutritional Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China
Linrong Yang
Laboratory of Genetic Breeding, Reproduction and Precision Livestock Farming, School of Animal Science and Nutritional Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China
Yuanzhuo Qian
Laboratory of Genetic Breeding, Reproduction and Precision Livestock Farming, School of Animal Science and Nutritional Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China
Mingxia Liang
Laboratory of Genetic Breeding, Reproduction and Precision Livestock Farming, School of Animal Science and Nutritional Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China
Hongbo Chen
Laboratory of Genetic Breeding, Reproduction and Precision Livestock Farming, School of Animal Science and Nutritional Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China
Jing Zhang
Laboratory of Genetic Breeding, Reproduction and Precision Livestock Farming, School of Animal Science and Nutritional Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China
Yinsheng Qiu
Hubei Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China
Ling Guo
Laboratory of Genetic Breeding, Reproduction and Precision Livestock Farming, School of Animal Science and Nutritional Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China
Shulin Fu
Hubei Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China
Glaesserella parasuis (G. parasuis) causes serious inflammation and meningitis in piglets. Quercetin has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial activities; however, whether quercetin can alleviate brain inflammation and provide protective effects during G. parasuis infection has not been studied. Here, we established a mouse model of G. parasuis infection in vivo and in vitro to investigate transcriptome changes in the mouse cerebrum and determine the protective effects of quercetin on brain inflammation and blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity during G. parasuis infection. The results showed that G. parasuis induced brain inflammation, destroyed BBB integrity, and suppressed PI3K/Akt/Erk signaling-pathway activation in mice. Quercetin decreased the expression of inflammatory cytokines (Il-18, Il-6, Il-8, and Tnf-α) and BBB-permeability marker genes (Mmp9, Vegf, Ang-2, and Et-1), increased the expression of angiogenetic genes (Sema4D and PlexinB1), reduced G. parasuis-induced tight junction disruption, and reactivated G. parasuis-induced suppression of the PI3K/Akt/Erk signaling pathway in vitro. Thus, we concluded that quercetin may protect BBB integrity via the PI3K/Akt/Erk signaling pathway during G. parasuis infection. This was the first attempt to explore the protective effects of quercetin on brain inflammation and BBB integrity in a G. parasuis-infected mouse model. Our findings indicated that quercetin is a promising natural agent for the prevention and treatment of G. parasuis infection.
