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Pathological effects of graded doses of aflatoxin B1 on the development of the testes in juvenile white leghorn males

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Abstract

Current experiment was planned to investigate the deleterious effects of the graded doses of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) on white leghorn male birds. For this purpose, one-hundred birds of 8 weeks of age were divided into 4 equal groups and reared on feed contaminated with different doses of AFB1 for 10 weeks. Group A was kept as a control group and was fed with normal toxin-free diet; groups B, C, and D were offered feed containing 100 ppb, 200 ppb, and 400 ppb of AFB1, respectively. The birds were euthanized at the 4th and 10th week of the experiment. Clinical signs, behavioral changes, absolute and relative organ weight of the testes, and sperm motility were measured. Cellular immune response was observed through carbon clearance assay (CCA), P-HAP, and antibody response against sheep red blood cells (SRBC). Results showed a dose-dependent decline in the immune response of birds with the increase in the level of AFB1 in the feed. A significant decrease in the serum levels of testosterone, prolactin, and LH were observed at the end of the study. Grossly, testicular size and volume were reduced in ABF1 fed birds, while histological examination showed moderate to severe necrosis of testicular parenchyma, with partial to complete arrest of spermatogenesis. Very few spermatozoa were found in group C, while they were almost absent in group D which was offered a diet containing 400 ppb AFB1. The motility of sperms was reduced in all treated groups except control. The abovementioned results showed that AFB1 had severe toxic effects on the reproductive and immunological parameters of WLH male birds in a dose-dependent manner.

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Funding

This is self-supported study of MPhil scholar, and no funds were provided by any funding agency. All the expenses were supported by authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Anas Ashraf, Muhammad Kashif Saleemi, Shafia Tehseen Gul, Muhammad Imran, Iqra Zaheer & Ahmad Raza

  2. Institute of Microbiology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Mashkoor Mohsin

  3. Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Poonch, Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan

    Muhammad Zubair

  4. Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Multan, Pakistan

    Faqir Muhammad

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

    Sheraz Ahmed Bhatti & Muhammad Raza Hameed

  6. Animal Health Program, National Agriculture Research Centre, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Hamid Irshad

  7. Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary and Animal Science, Jhang, Pakistan

    Ishtiaq Ahmed

  8. Department of Anatomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Anas Sarwar Qureshi

  9. Shandong Vocational Animal Science and Veterinary College, Weifang, 261061, China

    Ahrar Khan

Authors
  1. Anas Ashraf
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  2. Muhammad Kashif Saleemi
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  3. Mashkoor Mohsin
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  4. Shafia Tehseen Gul
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Contributions

Experimental designand analysis: AA, MKS, MM, and STG.

Histopathology: MKS and STG.

Investigation: FM, SAB, MRH, MI, HI, IZ, IA, and AR.

Review and editing: MZ, AK, and ASQ.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Muhammad Kashif Saleemi or Muhammad Zubair.

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Ethics approval

The birds in this experimental study were used after the approval of the experimental plan by the Graduate Studies and Research Board, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF), Pakistan.

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It is declared that all the authors agreed to participate in editing this article.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Ashraf, A., Saleemi, M.K., Mohsin, M. et al. Pathological effects of graded doses of aflatoxin B1 on the development of the testes in juvenile white leghorn males. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 53158–53167 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19324-6

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