Chronic ingestion of deoxynivalenol and fumonisin, alone or in interaction, induces morphological and immunological changes in the intestine of piglets

Abstract

Deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FB) are mycotoxins produced by Fusarium species, which naturally co-occur in animal diets. The gastrointestinal tract represents the first barrier met by exogenous food/feed compounds. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of DON and FB, alone and in combination, on some intestinal parameters, including morphology, histology, expression of cytokines and junction proteins. A total of twenty-four 5-week-old piglets were randomly assigned to four different groups, receiving separate diets for 5 weeks: a control diet; a diet contaminated with either DON (3 mg/kg) or FB (6 mg/kg); or both toxins. Chronic ingestion of these contaminated diets induced morphological and histological changes, as shown by the atrophy and fusion of villi, the decreased villi height and cell proliferation in the jejunum, and by the reduced number of goblet cells and lymphocytes. At the end of the experiment, the expression levels of several cytokines were measured by RT-PCR and some of them (TNF-a, IL-1b, IFN-g, IL-6 and IL-10) were significantly up-regulated in the ileum or the jejunum. In addition, the ingestion of contaminated diets reduced the expression of the adherent junction protein E-cadherin and the tight junction protein occludin in the intestine. When animals were fed with a co-contaminated diet (DON þ FB), several types of interactions were observed depending on the parameters and segments assessed: synergistic (immune cells); additive (cytokines and junction protein expression); less than additive (histological lesions and cytokine expression); antagonistic (immune cells and cytokine expression). Taken together, the present data provide strong evidence that chronic ingestion of low doses of mycotoxins alters the intestine, and thus may predispose animals to infections by enteric pathogens.

The efficacy of anti-mycotoxin feed additives in preventing the adverse effects of wheat naturally contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins on performance, intestinal barrier function and nutrient digestibility and retention in weanling pigs

“…The reduced villus height in the present study agreed with the findings reported by Bracarense et al (2012), who found that a chronic ingestion of DON (3 mg kg…”

Subchronic exposure to deoxynivalenol exerts slight effect on the immune system and liver morphology of growing rabbits

“…In a meta-analysis of experiments on the modulation of intestinal functions following mycotoxin ingestion, Grenier and Applegate (2013) review 11 experiments about DON and nutrient uptake, which are limited to poultry and pigs. Some villous abnormalities (reduced villus height, villus fusion, and atrophy) after DON exposure were described in pigs (Bracarense et al 2012) and poultry (Awad et al 2006). In our experiment, thickening and fusion of the villi could be observed in only one of the toxin-treated animals.…”

Effects of potential detoxifying agents on growth performance and deoxynivalenol (DON) urinary balance characteristics of nursery pigs fed DON-contaminated wheat

“…However, the ground corn used in all diets contained a low level of DON (0.57 mg/kg) and a high level of fumonisin B1 (FUM; 8.01 mg/kg), which is above cautionary levels for swine. Interactive effects between DON and FUM are well-documented (Grenier et al, 2011;Bracarense et al, 2012) and cannot be ruled out completely, but the low inclusion rate (4%) of FUM-contaminated corn in all experimental diets makes the impact of any interactive effects likely minimal on experimental outcomes. The analyzed concentration of DON in final diets in general matched anticipated levels, with the NC + SMB diet being the only exception (0.35 mg/kg).…”