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Combating immunotoxicity of aflatoxin B1 by dietary carbon supplementation in broiler chickens

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Abstract

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a secondary metabolite of some Aspergillus species that contaminate the agricultural commodities intended for animal and human consumption. The present in vivo study aimed to evaluate activated charcoal (AC) for its ability to reduce AFB1-induced immune suppressive effects in broiler chickens. One-day-old broiler chicks were divided into 12 groups (n = 30) and raised until 42 days of age. One control group was offered basal broiler feed. Three AFB1 groups were kept on AFB1-contaminated basal broiler feed (0.1, 0.2, and 0.6 mg/kg AFB1, respectively), whereas two AC groups were offered AC-added basal broiler feed (2.5 and 5.0 g/kg AC, respectively). Six combination groups were maintained on a combination of different doses of AFB1 and AC. The immune protective efficacy of AC was assessed by anti-sheep RBC’s antibodies, phagocytic activity of the reticuloendothelial system, phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA-P)-induced cutaneous basophil response, and histopathological and morphometric analysis of lymphoid organs. Dietary exposure to AFB1 alone resulted in dose-dependent suppression of immune responses and degenerative and necrotic changes in the bursa of Fabricius and thymus. The dietary addition of AC reduced the toxic effects of 0.1 and 0.2 mg/kg dietary AFB1 on immune responses and histological lesion on lymphoid organs; however, at higher dietary level of AFB1 (0.6 mg AFB1/kg), the dietary addition of AC was not effective to prevent the immunotoxic effects. The results of this study suggested that dietary inclusion of AC has the ability to prevent immunotoxic effects induced by AFB1 at lower dietary contaminations levels in broiler chickens.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

The authors highly acknowledge the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan for funding this study to first author under HEC Indigenous PhD fellowship program batch VII.

Funding

This work was supported by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan [grant number 117-7329-AV7-003].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan

    Sheraz Ahmed Bhatti

  2. Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Sheraz Ahmed Bhatti, Muhammad Zargham Khan & Muhammad Kashif Saleemi

  3. Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar

    Zahoor Ul Hassan

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  1. Sheraz Ahmed Bhatti
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  2. Muhammad Zargham Khan
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Contributions

SAB and MZK contributed to the idea, design, and execution of the study. MKS and ZH assisted in all broiler chickens procedures for the experiment. All authors contributed equally to the write-up of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Sheraz Ahmed Bhatti.

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All the experimental procedures were performed under the protocols approved by the Director of the Graduate Studies (DGS) following the established guidelines of DGS and Animal Ethics Committee, at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Bhatti, S.A., Khan, M.Z., Saleemi, M.K. et al. Combating immunotoxicity of aflatoxin B1 by dietary carbon supplementation in broiler chickens. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 49089–49101 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-14048-5

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