Humans and animals come into contact with various compounds in their natural environment. Most of the encountered substances are neutral, yet some may carry adverse health effects. The ingested food may be a source of harmful substances, including benzoquinones which, as shown by research results cited in this paper, demonstrate toxic, carcinogenic and enterotoxic activity. This group of compounds is inclusive of 2-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone (MBQ) and 2-ethyl-1,4-benzoquinone (EBQ), defensive secretions of the confused flour beetle (Tribolium confusum J. du V) and the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum Herbst). Benzoquinones have a carcinogenic effect, they are inhibitors of growth of various microorganisms, they produce a self-defense mechanism in threat situations and affect population aggregation. As noted by the referenced authors, the properties of benzoquinones have not been fully researched to this date.
In our previous in vitro research and also in laying hen production, attempts were made to minimise ammonia emissions in poultry houses with the use of Deodoric® biopreparation. The objective of the present research was to evaluate the influence of the Deodoric® on ammonia (NH3) emission and turkey growth performance in a semi-industrial production system. Significant differences in NH3 emission (p-value < 0.001), body weight (p-value < 0.001) and relative humidity (p-value < 0.001) were observed between the control group (C) and the experimental group (E) where Deodoric® was applied. In group C, an increase in ammonia concentration in air could have contributed to a decrease in the body weight of turkeys, but the above correlation was not observed in group E. In the control group, a relatively strong correlation between NH3 emission and temperature (p-value = 0.0009; r = 0.74) and moderate correlations between NH3 emission vs. relative humidity (p-value = 0.01; r = 0.59), air speed (p-value = 0.015; r = 0.60) and cooling (p-value = 0.005; r = 0.66) were noted. Studied correlations were not observed in group E. The preparation did not affect microbial levels in manure or body samples. Throughout the experiment, significant differences in the number of mesophilic bacteria (for the model: F = 46.14, p-value = 0.09; for mesophilic microorganisms: F = 3.29, p-value = 0.045) and Campylobacter spp. (for the model: F = 24.96, p-value = 0.008; for Campylobacter spp.: F = 0.25, p-value = 0.64) were not observed between group C and group E. The administration of Deodoric® to manure decreased NH3 concentration in the air and increased weight gains in the experimental group of turkeys relative to group C. Preparation may be applied in poultry farms to improve poultry farming conditions.
Plant materials used in the production of pig feed are frequently contaminated with mycotoxins. T-2 toxin is a secondary metabolite of selected Fusarium species, and it can exert a harmful influence on living organisms. Most mycotoxins enter the body via the gastrointestinal tract, and they can modulate the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) function. However, little is known about the influence of low T-2 toxin doses on GALT. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of T-2 toxin administered at 50% of the lowest-observed-adverse-effect level (LOAEL) on the percentage of CD2+ T cells, CD4+ T helper cells, CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, CD4+CD8+ double-positive T cells, TCRγδ+ cells, CD5+CD8- B1 cells, and CD21+ B2 cells, and the secretion of proinflammatory (IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-12/23p40, IL-17A), anti-inflammatory, and regulatory (IL-4, IL-10, TGF-β) cytokines in the porcine ileal wall. The results of the study revealed that T-2 toxin disrupts the development of tolerance to food antigens by enhancing the secretion of proinflammatory and regulatory cytokines and decreasing the production of anti-inflammatory TGF-β. T-2 toxin triggered the cellular response, which was manifested by an increase in the percentage of CD8+ T cells and a decrease in the percentage of B2 and Tγδ lymphocytes.
Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the most prevalent mycotoxins in Europe. Pigs are an animal species that is most susceptible to this mycotoxin. Deoxynivalenol causes significant losses in pig production by lowering feed intake, decreasing daily weight gains, disrupting immune responses, and increasing susceptibility to diseases. The aim of this experiment was to determine the influence of feed contaminated with DON at concentrations insignificantly higher than recommended by the European Commission (900 µg/kg). The experimental feed contained 1008 μg DON/kg. The experiment was performed on eight weaners from the same litter. The animals were randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group (M, n = 4) fed contaminated feed and a control group (C, n = 4) administered feed free of mycotoxins. The experiment lasted for six weeks, and peripheral blood samples were collected from the animals for analyses of selected morphological parameters and changes in the percentages of CD4+8−, CD4−8+, and CD4+8+ lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells (APC) with CD14+172+ (monocytes), CD172ahigh4−14− (conventional dendritic cells, cDC), and CD172adim4+14− (plasmacytoid dendritic cells, pDC) phenotypes. The morphological parameters of porcine blood samples were determined by flow cytometry with non-fluorescent particle-size calibration standards, and no differences were observed between groups M and C. An immunophenotyping analysis of lymphocytes and dendritic cells (DC) revealed an increase in the percentage of CD4+8−, CD172ahigh4−14−, and CD172adim4+14− cells, and a decrease in the number of CD4−8+ cells in group M. The results of this experiment suggest that prolonged exposure to low doses of DON can change the proportions of immunocompetent cells (a shift towards humoral immunity), without affecting their overall counts.
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