Abstract
The toxicokinetics of the food and feed contaminant Fumonisin B (FB) are characterized by low oral absorption and rapid plasma elimination. For these reasons, FB is not considered to accumulate in animals. However, recent studies in chicken and turkey showed that, in these species, the hepatic half-elimination time of fumonisin B1 (FB1) was several days, suggesting that FB1 may accumulate in the body. For the present study, 21-day-old chickens received a non-toxic dose of around 20 mg FB1 + FB2/kg of feed to investigate whether FB can accumulate in the body over time. Measurements taken after four and nine days of exposure revealed increased concentrations of sphinganine (Sa) and sphingosine (So) over time in the liver, but no sign of toxicity and no effect on performances were observed at this level of FB in feed. Measurements of FB in tissues showed that FB1 accumulated in chicken livers from four to nine days, with concentrations of 20.3 and 32.1 ng FB1/g observed, respectively, at these two exposure periods. Fumonisin B2 (FB2) also accumulated in the liver, from 0.79 ng/g at four days to 1.38 ng/g at nine days. Although the concentrations of FB found in the muscles was very low, an accumulation of FB1 over time was observed in this tissue, with concentrations of 0.036 and 0.072 ng FB1/g being measured after four and nine days of exposure, respectively. Feeding algo-clay to the chickens reduced the accumulation of FB1 in the liver and muscle by , approximately 40 and 50% on day nine, respectively. By contrast, only a weak non-significant effect was observed on day four. The decrease in the concentration of FB observed in tissues of chickens fed FB plus algo-clay on day nine was accompanied by a decrease in Sa and So contents in the liver compared to the levels of Sa and So measured in chickens fed FB alone. FB1 in the liver and Sa or So contents were correlated in liver tissue, confirming that both FB1 and Sa are suitable biomarkers of FB exposure in chickens. Further studies are necessary to determine whether FB can accumulate at higher levels in chicken tissues with an increase in the time of exposure and in the age of the animals.
Highlights
Fumonisins are mycotoxins produced by Fusarium that are found in food and feed all over the world [1,2,3]
Leucoencephalomacia occurs in horses, who are one of the most sensitive species to fumonisin B (FB), whereas pulmonary edema has been reported in pigs, and liver damage has been found in all animal species, including avian species, which are considered to be relatively resistant to FB
Slaughtering was performed on two consecutive days to minimize the difference in the time between the last meal and death that could influence the amount of fumonisin B1 (FB1) in tissues [27]
Summary
Fumonisins are mycotoxins produced by Fusarium that are found in food and feed all over the world [1,2,3]. Algo-clay is a modified clay adsorbent developed in a patented process (Olmix S.A., Brehan, France) using water-soluble polysaccharides extracted from marine green algae [24] and montmorillonite (layered clay) These water-soluble polysaccharides act as pillars between clay layers and increase the inter-laminar space up to 3 nm. The efficiency of algo-clay in chicken fed FB at the maximum tolerated level defined by the EU guideline for avian feed has not yet been investigated. The first objective of this study was to assess whether FB can accumulate in tissue over time in chickens with a dose of FB in feed near the maximum level defined by the EU guidelines. The second objective was to investigate the consequence of feeding algo-clay with FB concentrations in tissue and on Sa and So levels in the liver
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