Fluoride induces apoptosis and autophagy through the IL-17 signaling pathway in mice hepatocytes

Previous studies have reported that excessive fluoride exposure induced liver damage. However, the underlying mechanism of fluoride-induced hepatic toxicity is still unclear. Hence, this study was aimed to evaluate the fluoride-induced apoptosis, autophagy, and IL-17 signaling pathway-related genes to explore the possible mechanisms of NaF-induced liver injury in mice. For this, 48 male mice were allotted randomly to four groups, treated with deionized water, 25, 50, 100 mg/L NaF for 150 days continuously. Our results suggested that treatment with NaF decreased the PAS staining-positive area, with a concomitant increase in liver score, and serum ALT and AST levels which indicated that NaF induced the liver injury. In addition, the qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and western blotting results indicated that NaF exposure activated IL-17 signaling, apoptosis, and autophagy pathways. In summary, these results suggested that NaF induced apoptosis and autophagy in liver by activating the IL-17 signaling pathway, eventually leading to impaired liver function.