Abstract
Zearalenone (ZEA), an estrogenic mycotoxin, is mainly produced by Fusarium fungi. In this study, Bacillus licheniformis CK1 isolated from soil with the capability of degrading ZEA was evaluated for its efficacy in reducing the adverse effects of ZEA in piglets. The gilts were fed one of the following three diets for 14 days: a basic diet for the control group; the basic diet supplemented with ZEA-contaminated basic diet for the treatment 1 (T1) group; and the basic diet supplemented with fermented ZEA-contaminated basic diet by CK1 for the treatment 2 (T2) group. The actual ZEA contents (analyzed) were 0, 1.20 ± 0.11, 0.47 ± 0.22 mg/kg for the control, T1, and T2 diets, respectively. The results showed that the T1 group had significantly increased the size of vulva and the relative weight of reproductive organs compared to the control group at the end of the trial. The T1 group significantly decreased the concentration of the luteinizing hormone (LH) compared with the control and T2 groups. Expression of ERβ was significantly up-regulated in the T2 group compared with the control. In addition, expression of ERβ was not different between the control and the T1 group. In summary, our results suggest that Bacillus licheniformis CK1 could detoxify ZEA in feed and reduce the adverse effects of ZEA in the gilts.
Highlights
Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by a range of fungi, especially fromFusarium, Aspergillus, and Penicillium genera [1]
The purpose of this study was investigate effects of Bacillus licheniformis CK1 on growth performance, vulva size, relative weights of organs, and serum hormone of female piglets fed feed contaminated with ZEA
In the seven-day adaption period, there was no significant difference in the average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), or feed efficiency (FE, feed intake/gain) among the three groups
Summary
Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by a range of fungi, especially fromFusarium, Aspergillus, and Penicillium genera [1]. Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by a range of fungi, especially from. Mycotoxins pose great risks to the health of animals as well as humans. The ingestion of mycotoxin-contaminated feed by animals results in mycotoxin accumulation in different organs or tissues, endangering animal health or entering into the food chain through meat, milk, or eggs [2]. Humans get directly exposed to mycotoxins as a result of eating contaminated crops, or indirectly exposed by consuming contaminated animal products. The number of mycotoxins could be changed according to a newly proposed definition of mycotoxins [7]. The new definition states that something is a mycotoxin if and only if it is a secondary metabolite produced by microfungi, posing a health hazard to human and vertebrate animal species by exerting a toxic activity on human
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