Abstract
This study was performed to assess the effects of dietary aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) on the growth, antioxidant and immune response, digestive enzyme activities, and intestinal morphology of Lateolabrax maculatus during a 56-day feeding trial. Four diets were formulated including 0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/kg of AFB1. Each diet was randomly assigned to 3 fish tanks with 40 fish per tank. Results indicated that the fish’s final body weight, weight gain rate, specific growth rate, feed intake, condition factor, viscerosomatic index, hepatosomatic index, and intestinesomatic index decreased (p < 0.01) as dietary AFB1 increased. AFB1 levels in diets increased (p < 0.05) serum total antioxidant capacity (TAOC), superoxide (SOD), catalase, malondialdehyde (MDA), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), and lysozyme (LZM), and increased (p < 0.05) the TAOC, SOD, MDA, AKP, LZM, and immunoglobulin M in the livers of the fish. Dietary AFB1 decreased (p < 0.05) intestinal trypsin activity and induced intestinal injury. In summary, dietary AFB1 up to 1.0 mg/kg was toxic to L. maculatus as judged by reduced growth, enhanced antioxidant and immune response, decreased intestinal trypsin activity, and impaired intestinal morphology.
Highlights
Key Contribution: The present study reports the comprehensive response of Lateolabrax maculatus to dietary Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)
The similar survival rate (SR) of fish among the groups suggested that dietary AFB1 up to 1.0 mg/kg did not alter the survival of L. maculatus
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study assessing the effects of dietary AFB1 on the growth of L. maculatus
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1 ) is mainly produced by Aspergillus flavus, which exists in some raw feed materials for animal use, such as maize, peanut, and wheat flour [1]. AFB1 is a major challenge to aquaculture due to its high toxicity to aquatic animals and great threat to food safety. The biotransformation of AFB1 mainly occurs in the liver and intestine [2]
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