Influence of iron-molybdenum nanocluster polyoxometalates on the apoptosis of blood leukocytes and the level of heat-shock proteins in the cells of thymus and spleen in rats

Abstract

We have studied the influence of iron-molybdenum nanocluster polyoxometalates on the organism of animals (rats) in order to determine the correlation between the exposure and changes at the cellular level in the blood and immune system. Single and repeated administrations of polyoxometalates lead to an increase in the amount of cells containing heat-shock proteins (HSPs) HSP60 and HSP70 not only in the spleen but also in the thymus, despite the blood–thymus barrier. The enhancement of both early and late apoptosis in leukocytes after the administration of 30 doses of polyoxometalates may result from the disruption of homeostasis in immunopoietic organs. No changes in the blood parameters indicative of inflammatory process or anemia are observed at any exposure. The increased level of HSPs in the cells of thymus and spleen and the absence of changes indicative of inflammation in the blood leucocytes, apparently, support the viability of cells in studied organs, since no morphological disruptions are found in the thymus and the spleen.