Abstract
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) causes hepatotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and kidney damage, and it is included in group I of human carcinogens. The European Commission has established maximum limits of AFB1 in feed, ranging from 5 to 20 μg/kg. Chicken is moderately sensitive to AFB1, which results in reduced growth performance and economic losses. Oxidative stress triggered by AFB1 plays a crucial role in kidney damage and the antioxidant activity of Curcumin (CURC) could help in preventing such adverse effect. Twenty-days-old broilers were treated for 10 days with AFB1 (0.02 mg/kg feed), alone or in combination with CURC (400 mg/kg feed), to explore the effects on the renal tissue. Animals exposed to AFB1 alone displayed alterations of the oxidative stress parameters compared with controls: serum antioxidant capacity, and enzymatic activity of kidney superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were decreased, while renal malondialdehyde levels and NADPH oxidase complex expression were increased. The administration of CURC attenuates all the oxidative stress parameters modified by AFB1 in the chicken kidney, opening new perspectives in the management of aflatoxicosis.
Highlights
Foodstuffs, grains and feeds are the ideal substrates for the growth of mycotoxigenic fungi
CURC was able to almost completely counteract the impairment of superoxide dismutase (SOD), CAT, and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) induced by Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) (#p < 0.05 AFB1 vs. AFB1 + CURC), restoring their activity to normal values
The results of the present study revealed that feeding broilers with a diet contaminated by AFB1 at levels approaching the EU regulatory limits (0.02 mg/kg) is already able to induce an oxidative damage in the kidney
Summary
Foodstuffs, grains and feeds are the ideal substrates for the growth of mycotoxigenic fungi. Mycotoxigenic Aspergillus species have spread, increasing the risk of feed and food contamination worldwide [4, 5]. Such condition is evident in the Mediterranean area due to the increase of average temperature, CO2 levels and drought episodes, alternating with heavy precipitations, especially during the summer season [6]. AFB1 is well-known for its carcinogenic effects, and it is classified in group I of the human carcinogenic compounds [7]. It causes hepatotoxicity [8], kidney and heart damage [9], immunotoxicity [10], and could lead to fatal consequences in both farm animals and humans [11]. In the European Union the maximum permitted level range for complementary and complete feed for livestock is 0.005 (dairy ruminants) – 0.02 mg/kg [12]
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