Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the comparative effects of aflatoxin-contaminated corn on the thymus and bursa of Fabricius (BF) in chickens by detecting histopathological lesions, cell cycle phase distribution and apoptosis. A total of 900 COBB500 male broilers were randomly allocated into five groups. The experiment lasted for six weeks and the five dietary treatments consisted of uncontaminated corn (control), 25% contaminated corn, 50% contaminated corn, 75% contaminated corn and 100% contaminated corn groups. The gross changes showed the decreased size of the thymus and BF, as well as the pale color of the BF in the broilers after aflatoxin contaminated diet exposure. There were more nuclear debris in the thymus and BF of birds in the 50%, 75%, and 100% contaminated corn groups, but the pathological impairments of the BF were more obvious than those of the thymus, which showed as more obvious lymphocyte depletion and the proliferation of reticulocytes and fibroblasts. At 21 days of age, the percentage of thymocytes and BF cells in the G2M phase was increased in a dose-dependent manner in the four AFB-contaminated corn groups. However, at 42 days of age, dietary AFB1 induced cell cycle perturbation at the G0G1 phase in thymocytes, but at the G2M phase in BF cells. The increased percentage of apoptotic cells in the thymus and BF were similarly observed in the AFB groups. According to these results, the severity of histopathological lesions may be correlated with the different sensitivity of the two central immune organs when exposed to AFB; different arrested cell cycle phases suggest that different mechanisms may be involved in the lesions of the thymus and BF, which need to be further researched.
Highlights
Mycotoxins are secondary fungal metabolites that can be produced in maize and other food commodities [1]
The severity of histopathological lesions may be correlated with the different sensitivity of the two central immune organs when exposed to AFB; different arrested cell cycle phases suggest that different mechanisms may be involved in the lesions of the thymus and bursa of Fabricius (BF), which need to be further researched
The results showed that naturally contaminated corn used in the diet was mainly contaminated with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and aflatoxin B2 (AFB2)
Summary
Mycotoxins are secondary fungal metabolites that can be produced in maize and other food commodities [1]. They can cause adverse health effects in humans and animals because of their toxicological effects [2]. The most important member of the group is aflatoxin B1 (AFB1 ), which has a range of biological toxicities, including acute hepatic toxicity, teratogenicity, mutagenicity and carcinogenicity [3]. It caused hepatotoxicity in all species examined far [4]. AFB toxicity can result from various mechanisms, such as oxidative stress, apoptosis or cell cycle blockage [9,10,11]
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