Avermectin induced autophagy in pigeon spleen tissues

•Avermectin increased the level of autophagy in pigeon spleen tissues.•The concentration of avermectin was the primary source of variations induced autophagy.•Autophagy was an important protection mechanism responsible for avermectin toxicity.

The level of autophagy is considered as an indicator for monitoring the toxic impact of pesticide exposure. Avermectin (AVM), a widely used insecticide, has immunotoxic effects on the pigeon spleen. The aim of this study was to investigate the status of autophagy and the expression levels of microtubule-associated protein1 light chain 3 (LC3), beclin-1, dynein, autophagy associated gene (Atg) 4B, Atg5, target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1) and target of rapamycin complex 2 (TORC2) in AVM-treated pigeon spleens. Eighty two-month-old pigeons were randomly divided into four groups: a control group, a low-dose group, a medium-dose group and a high-dose group, which were fed a basal diet spiked with 0, 20, 40 and 60 mg AVM/kg diet, respectively. Microscopic cellular morphology revealed a significant increase in autophagic structures in the AVM-treated groups. The expression of LC3, beclin-1, dynein, Atg4B and Atg5 increased, while mRNA levels of TORC1 and TORC2 were decreased in the AVM-treated groups relative to the control groups at 30, 60 and 90 days in the pigeon spleen. These results indicated that AVM exposure could up-regulate the level of autophagy in a dose-time-dependent manner in the pigeon spleen.