Possible role of bovine serum albumin for the prevention of aflatoxin B1-absorption from the intestinal tract in young chicks.

Abstract

The deleterious effect of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) on the liver after intragastric inoculation and the protective influence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) from AFB1 damage was biochemically and histologically examined using one-day-old chicks. Three mg/kg weight of AFB1 was inoculated intragastrically into the chicks, the dosage being based on the results of a preliminary toxicity test that indicated it was the minimum dose for lesion production. The resulting histological changes were confined to the liver and were characterized by bile duct proliferation, vacuolation of hepatic cells in the peripherolobular regions, and necrosis of hepatic cells in the centrilobular regions. In a subsequent experiment, 3 groups of one-day-old chicks were each inoculated with AFB1 alone, AFB1 + BSA and dimethyl sulfoxide alone (control), respectively. BSA provided protection from AFB1 as evidenced by the less pronounced changes in the liver of chicks inoculated with AFB1 + BSA and the same quantitative value of plasma isocitrate dehydrogenase released from the liver, maintaining its activity at nearly the same level with the control. Moreover, AFB1 contents in the plasma and liver were significantly lower in the AFB1 + BSA inoculated chicks than those with AFB1 alone. AFB1 in the plasma and liver of both groups receiving AFB1 attained its maximum level 6 hr after inoculation. This was immediately followed by a rapid decline with both parts having similar final levels. These results indicate that BSA may have AFB1-binding ability in the intestinal tract of young chicks and may also be excreted with AFB1.