Effects of aflatoxin B-1 and monensin interaction on liver and intestine of poultry - influence of a biological additive (Pichia kudriavzevii RC001)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of aflatoxin B-1 (AFB(1)) and monensin (MONS) interaction on the liver and intestinal histological changes in poultry, and the influence of Pichia kudriavzevii RC001. One-day-old commercial line (Ross 308) broilers (n=120) were individually weighed and randomly assigned to 8 treatments (15 broilers/treatment, 5 broilers per cage and 3 replicates/treatment). The experimental diets were: Group 1: basal diet (BD); Group 2: BD + MONS (50 mg/kg); Group 3: BD + P, kudriavzevii RC001 (1 g/kg); Group 4: BD + AFB(1) (100 mu g/kg); Group 5: BD + MONS + P. kudriavzevii RC001; Group 6: BD + AFB(1) + P. kudriavzevii RC001; Group 7: BD + AFB(1) + MONS + P. kudriavzevii RC001; Group 8: BD + AFB(1) + MONS. When MONS was added, the typical AFB(1) macroscopic and microscopic alterations were intensified. The P. kudriavzevii RC001 cytotoxicity and genotoxicity assays with Vero cells and with broiler chicken's erythrocytes, demonstrated that P. kudriavzevii RC001 neither were non-cytotoxic nor genotoxic. When MONS was added in the presence of P. kudriavzevii RC001, the toxic effect of AFB(1) on liver was not prevented. When P. kudriavzevii was present alone, the same prevention of the pathological damage was observed in the intestine of poultry fed with AFB(1). The smallest apparent absorption area was obtained when AFB(1) and MONS were added in the feed (P< 0.05). AFB(1) and MONS interaction demonstrated important toxic effects. Although P. kudriavzevii was effective in ameliorating the adverse effects of AFB(1) alone on liver pathology and gut morphology, it was not able to diminish the toxic effects of AFB(1) in presence of MONS. It suggests that P. kudriavzevii could be used as feed additive or counteracting the toxic effects of AFB(1) in poultry production in the absence of MONS.