Abstract
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is the most toxic form among the mycotoxins. Cytokines are important mediators of the immune system. T-cell subsets play a crucial role in cell-mediated immunity. The aim of present study was to evaluate the effects of dietary AFB1 on the cytokines expression and T-cell subsets in the cecal tonsil of broiler chickens throughout a 21-day experimental period. One hundred and fifty six one-day-old broiler chickens were randomly divided into control group (0 mg AFB1/kg feed) and AFB1 group (0.6 mg pure AFB1/kg feed). At 7, 14 and 21 days of age, the levels of seven cytokines (IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, IFN-γ and TNF-α) mRNA expression as well as the proportions of T-cell subsets (CD3+, CD3+CD4+, CD3+CD8+) by qRT-PCR and flow cytometry methods were assessed in the cecal tonsils. The levels of the seven cytokines mRNA expression and the percentages of T-cell subsets significantly decreased at 14 and 21 days of age in the AFB1 group compared with the control group. However, the CD4+/CD8+ ratio was not significantly changed. These results demonstrate that 0.6 mg/kg AFB1 dietary exposure reduced the levels of cytokines mRNA expression and the percentages of T-cell subsets in the cecal tonsils of broiler chickens, suggesting that the cell-mediated immunity of cecal tonsils might be impaired in broilers.
Highlights
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a strong mutagenic, carcinogenic and teratogenic compound (Mohamed & Metwally, 2009) and can be found in foods and fodder in the world as a common contaminant
The CD4+/CD8+ ratio was not significantly changed. These results demonstrate that 0.6 mg/kg AFB1 dietary exposure reduced the levels of cytokines mRNA expression and the percentages of T-cell subsets in the cecal tonsils of broiler chickens, suggesting that the cell-mediated immunity of cecal tonsils might be impaired in broilers
The purpose of this paper was to investigate the effects of dietary AFB1 at different time points on the cytokines mRNA expression and T-cell subsets in the cecal tonsil of broiler chickens by quantitative real-time PCR and flow cytometry (FCM) analyses in order to provide helpful information for future studies in immunosuppressive effects induced by AFB1 in poultry
Summary
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a strong mutagenic, carcinogenic and teratogenic compound (Mohamed & Metwally, 2009) and can be found in foods and fodder in the world as a common contaminant. The inhibitory effects of AFB1 on cytokines expression and T-cell subsets have been demonstrated in various studies. The dietary AFB1 can induce inhibitory effects on interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) production in rats’ splenocytes (Hinton et al, 2003). There is a decrease in contents of serum IL-2 and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) in broilers exposed to AFB1 (Chen et al., 2013a). Meissonnier et al (2008) found linear increases in IFN-γ, IL-6 and interleukin-10 (IL-10) mRNA with increase in dietary levels of AFB1 in pigs. The increase of IFN-γ, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) mRNA (proinflammatory cytokines) has been observed in chickens exposed to AFB1 (Li et al, 2014). The percentage of splenic CD8+ T-cells in rats shows dose-dependent decreases with dietary AFB1 increasing (Qian et al, 2014). Intoxicated mice with AFB1 exhibit significant decreases in the percentage of CD4+ T-cells in the spleen and in the number of CD3+ T-cells in the intestinal T-cells (Hatori et al, 1991; Tomková et al, 2002). Chen et al (2014)
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