Nano-selenium supplementation upregulate TLR-7, MyD88, NF-kB, and TRAF6 genes in thymus of Wistar rats following treatment with cyclosporine A

Objective(s): Selenium Nanoparticles can modulate the function of the immune system and improve immunity. We investigate the expression of toll-like receptor-7 (TLR-7), myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88), Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), and TNF receptor associated factor 6 (TRAF6) genes in thymus of Wistar rats following treatment with cyclosporine A (CsA) and Nano-selenium (Nano-Se) supplementation. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four male Wistar rats (200-220 grams) were divided into 3 groups of control (n=8), CsA (n=8), and CsA+Nano-Se (n=8). Rats in CsA and CsA+Nano-Se group’s received cyclosporine A and olive oil solution by subcutaneous injection for 10 days at a dose of 5 mg/kg/day. Nano-Se with a dose of 2.5 mg/kg of body weight was gavaged to the CsA+Nano-Se group once a day and 3 times a week. Real-time PCR were used for gene expression of TLR-7, MyD88, NF-kB, and TRAF6 at thymus. Results: The result of this study show that CsA significantly decreased expressions of TLR-7, MyD88, NF-kB, and TRAF6 at thymus compared to control group (P 0.05). However, expressions of TLR-7, MyD88, NF-kB, and TRAF6 at thymus in  CsA+ Nano-Se group was significantly increased compared to CsA group (P 0.05). Conclusion: Nano-Se supplementation significantly regulated the expression of TLR-7, MyD88, NF-kB and TRAF6 genes in the thymus of rats treated with cyclosporine A. Therefore, Nano-Se supplementation can be recommended to boost immune function after using immunosuppressive drugs. However, more research is needed in the future.