Abstract
The objective of this study was to explore the mechanism of Hedyotis diffusa (HD) in mediating the detoxification of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)-induced hepatic injury in chicks. A total of 144 one-day-old male broilers (Cobb 500) were randomly assigned to four treatment groups (n = 6 cages/diet, 6 chicks/cage). After three days of acclimation, the broilers were fed either a control diet (Control), Control plus 0.5 mg/kg of AFB1, or Control plus 0.5 mg/kg AFB1 with 500 or 1000 mg/kg HD for two weeks. Both serum and liver were collected at the end of the feeding trial for biochemistry, histology, and NF-E2-related nuclear factor 2 (NRF2)/antioxidant response element (ARE) signaling analysis. Compared with Control, the AFB1 treatment caused liver injury and decreased (p < 0.05) body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and serum albumin and total protein by 6.2–20.7%. AFB1 also induced swelling, necrosis, and severe vacuolar degeneration in chicks’ livers. Notably, HD supplementation at 500 and 1000 mg/kg mitigated (p < 0.05) the alterations induced by AFB1. HD supplementation alleviated (p < 0.05) AFB1-induced impairment in hepatic glutathione peroxidase activity, protein carbonyl, and exo-AFB1-8,9-epoxide (AFBO)–DNA concentrations by 57.7–100% and increased (p < 0.05) the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase by 23.1–40.9% more than those of AFB1 treatment alone. Furthermore, HD supplementation at the two doses upregulated (p < 0.05) NRF2, NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase-1, heme oxygenase-1, glutathione cysteine ligase catalytic subunit, and glutathione-S transferase A2 and A3 in livers relative to the AFB1 group by 0.99–3.4-fold. Overall, dietary supplementation of HD at a high dose displayed better protection effects against aflatoxicosis. In conclusion, a dietary HD supplementation at 500 and 1000 mg/kg protected broilers from AFB1-induced hepatotoxicity, potentially due to the activation of NRF2/ARE signaling in the chicks.
Highlights
Aflatoxins (AFs) are secondary metabolites of the fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus that can be detected in various agricultural commodities [1,2]
After two weeks of experimental treatments, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) decreased (p < 0.05) the final body weight, body weight gain, feed intake, and gain/feed efficiency of chicks by 6.2–12.3% (Table 1). These changes induced by AFB1 were significantly mitigated (p < 0.05) by Hedyotis diffusa (HD) supplementation at 500 and 1000 mg/kg
As the primary toxic adduct of AFBO [10,45], AFBO–DNA was sharply decreased in the liver of broilers exposed to AFB1 by the HD dietary supplementation. These results indicate that the protective effects of HD against AFB1 toxicity are potentially mediated by activating the pivotal glutathione-S transferases (GST) isozymes that promote the detoxification of the highly toxic AFBO
Summary
Aflatoxins (AFs) are secondary metabolites of the fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus that can be detected in various agricultural commodities [1,2]. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1 ) is considered the most toxic variant among AFs and their metabolites. It exhibits harmful teratogenic, mutagenic, and hepatotoxic effects on both humans and livestock [3,4,5]. AFB1 is classified as a Group I carcinogen [6]. The biotransformation pathways of AFB1 represent the main reason for its toxicity.
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