Penthorum Chinense Pursh Extract Alleviates Aflatoxin B1-Induced Liver Injury and Oxidative Stress Through Mitochondrial Pathways in Broilers

Abstract

Aflatoxin is an important toxicant of the fungal origin and poses a threat to the poultry industry. This study was designed to reveal the underlying mechanism and protective methods against aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)-induced liver injury, oxidative stress, and apoptosis using a Traditional Chinese medicine, Penthorum chinense Pursh extract (PCPE), in broilers. A total of 164 (day-old) broilers were equally allocated to the control, AFB1 (3 mg/kg feed), positive drug (Yin-Chen-Hao Tang extract, 10 ml/kg feed), PCPE (2 g PCPE/kg), and PCPE low, medium, and high dose groups (1 g, 2 g, 3 g PCPE/kg feed, respectively). AFB1 significantly decreased the growth performance and serum immunoglobulin level, altered normal serum biochemical parameters and antioxidant activities, and induced histopathological lesions in the liver as compared to control group. Additionally, AFB1 significantly up-regulated the mRNA expression levels of apoptosis-related genes such as Bax, Bak, caspase-9, caspase-3, and p53, whereas it down-regulated the expression levels of BCL2 in the liver of broilers. The supplementation of different doses of PCPE to AFB1-affected birds significantly eased AFB1 negative effects by improving growth performance, immunoglobulin level, and oxidative capacity, and reversed oxidative stress and pathological lesions in liver. Furthermore, supplementation of PCPE to the AFB1 group reversed apoptosis by significantly down-regulating the mRNA expression levels of Bax, Bak, caspase-9, caspase-3, and p53 and up-regulating the expression levels of BCL2 in the liver of broilers. Based on these results, we conclude that supplementation of PCPE is protective and safe against oxidative stress, is anti-apoptotic, and reverses the liver damage caused by AFB1 in broilers.

An Updated Review on Efficiency of Penthorum chinense Pursh in Traditional Uses, Toxicology, and Clinical Trials

“…The liver is a vital organ with metabolic activities and normal physiological functions. The functions of the liver are correlated with gastrointestinal tract (GIT), and the disorder between this balance may danger to drug toxicity and introduction of xenobiotics within the organism [ 25 , 26 ]. Therefore, the antioxidant treatment is very effective for the controlling the oxidative stress conditions and correct or control the equilibrium between the antioxidant and oxidants in the encouragement of the liver pathogenesis and protection of hepatocytes from excessive exposure to oxidative stress.…”

“…Aflatoxin poses a great threat to the poultry industry. PCP enhances growth performance, immunoglobulin level, and oxidative capability and reversing oxidative stress and pathological lesions in the liver; PCP administered to AFB1-affected birds lessens the negative effects; also, apoptosis was reversed [ 25 , 26 ]. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanism of action PCP in different animals.…”

The Efficacy of Additives for the Mitigation of Aflatoxins in Animal Feed: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

“…The summary effect size is denoted by the blue diamond. References: Liu et al [ 29 ], Subhani et al [ 26 ], Rajput et al [ 28 ], Sridhar et al [ 30 ], Solis-Cruz et al [ 25 ], Sridhar et al [ 32 ], Bintvihok et al [ 34 ], Sadeghi et al [ 31 ], Muhammad et al [ 33 ], Nabi et al [ 21 ], Cao et al [ 8 ], Almusawi et al [ 24 ], Malekinezhad et al [ 22 ], Rashidi et al [ 23 ], Ulaiwi et al [ 27 ], Lin et al [ 19 ], Mesgar et al [ 20 ], Muhammad et al [ 33 ], Rashidi et al [ 23 ], Pappas et al [ 44 ], Allameh et al [ 5 ], Almusawi et al [ 24 ], Mahrose et al [ 41 ], Pappas et al [ 44 ], Barati et al [ 7 ], Rashidi et al [ 23 ], Valchev et al [ 42 ], Xie et al [ 4 ], Stanley et al [ 40 ], Ejiofor et al [ 36 ], Allameh et al [ 5 ], Motawe et al [ 38 ], Barati et al [ 7 ], Rashidi et al [ 23 ], Basmacioglu et al [ 39 ], Hernandez-Ramires et al [ 36 ], Solis-Cruz et al [ 25 ], Cao et al [ 8 ], Salem et al [ 37 ], Barati et al [ 7 ], Ulaiwi et al [ 27 ], Mahrose et al [ 41 ], Pappas et al [ 44 ].…”

Editorial: Rising stars in comparative and clinical medicine: 2021

“…Furthermore, several molecular techniques have been employed in clinical and comparative medicine for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, and for drug and vaccine production, in order to improve animal productivity. Nabi et al ( 8 ) suggest that the genotype and phenotype structures of all domestic animals can be impaired by continuous exposure to certain toxins, pathogens, and a variety of other compounds; these contribute to the liberation of certain enzymes and the production of free radicals of ROS, leading to oxidative stress and initiation of an inflammatory process alongside the development of pathological conditions. Meanwhile, the utilization of emerging technology for the development of alternative diagnostic and treatment options has been proposed, as a way to target the particular genes relevant to a given pathogen to improve the potential productivity of livestock animals.…”