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. 2022 Sep 6;11(9):1757.
doi: 10.3390/antiox11091757.

Evaluation of Hepatic Detoxification Effects of Enteromorpha prolifera Polysaccharides against Aflatoxin B1 in Broiler Chickens

Wen-Chao Liu  1 , Yu-Ying Yang  1 , Karthika Pushparaj  2 , Balamuralikrishnan Balasubramanian  3
Affiliations
Free PMC article

Evaluation of Hepatic Detoxification Effects of Enteromorpha prolifera Polysaccharides against Aflatoxin B1 in Broiler Chickens

Wen-Chao Liu et al. Antioxidants (Basel). .
Free PMC article

Abstract

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a major risk factor in animal feed. Seaweed (Enteromorpha prolifera)-derived polysaccharides (SDP) are natural antioxidants with multiple biological functions, which may have an in vivo detoxification effect on AFB1. The current study aimed to evaluate whether SDP could mitigate AFB1-induced hepatotoxicity in broilers. A total of 216 chickens (male, 5 weeks old) were randomly allocated to three groups with differing feeding patterns, lasting 4 weeks: (1) control group (CON, fed a basal diet); (2) AFB1 group (fed a basal diet mixed with 0.1 mg/kg AFB1); and (3) AFB1 + SDP group (AFB1 group + 0.25% SDP). The results showed that dietary SDP improved the liver function-related biochemical indicators in serum, and reversed the increase in relative liver weight, hepatic apoptosis and histological damage of broilers exposed to AFB1. SDP treatment also reduced the activity and mRNA expression of phase I detoxification enzymes, while increasing the activity and mRNA expression of phase II detoxification enzymes in the livers of AFB1-exposed broilers, which was involved in the activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK)/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling. In conclusion, dietary SDP alleviated AFB1-induced liver injury of broilers through inhibiting phase I detoxification enzymes and upregulating p38MAPK/Nrf2-mediated phase II detoxification enzymes pathway.

Keywords: Enteromorpha prolifera; aflatoxin B1; detoxification; hepatotoxicity; natural antioxidants; seaweed polysaccharides.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The protective effects of dietary seaweed (Enteromorpha prolifera)-derived polysaccharides on histopathological changes in liver in broiler chickens. Scale bars for 200× are 50 μm and 400× are 25 μm. Arrows indicate the vacuolization, inflammatory cell infiltration and hepatocyte necrosis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The protective effects of dietary seaweed (Enteromorpha prolifera) derived polysaccharides on apoptosis of hepatocytes in broiler chickens. The scale bar is 100 μm. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, no superscript marks indicated that p > 0.10. CON, control group; AFB1 group (fed diet with 0.1 mg/kg AFB1); AFB1 + SDP group (AFB1 group + 0.25% SDP).
Figure 3
Figure 3
The protective effects of dietary seaweed (Enteromorpha prolifera)-derived polysaccharides on enzymatic activity and AFBO-DNA level in liver of broiler chickens. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, no superscript marks indicated that p > 0.10. CON: control group; AFB1 group (fed diet with 0.1 mg/kg AFB1); AFB1 + SDP group (AFB1 group + 0.25% SDP).
Figure 4
Figure 4
The protective effects of dietary seaweed (Enteromorpha prolifera)-derived polysaccharides on hepatic mRNA expression of phase I detoxification enzyme-related genes in broiler chickens. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, no superscript marks indicated that p > 0.10. CON: control group; AFB1 group: (fed diet with 0.1 mg/kg AFB1); AFB1 + SDP group (AFB1 group + 0.25% SDP).
Figure 5
Figure 5
The protective effects of dietary seaweed (Enteromorpha prolifera)-derived polysaccharides on hepatic mRNA expression of antioxidant phase II detoxification enzyme-related genes in broiler chickens. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, no superscript marks indicated that p > 0.10. CON: control group; AFB1 group: (fed diet with 0.1 mg/kg AFB1); AFB1 + SDP group (AFB1 group + 0.25% SDP).
Figure 6
Figure 6
The protective effects of dietary seaweed (Enteromorpha prolifera)-derived polysaccharides on hepatic Nrf2 protein expression in broiler chickens based on immunohistochemical analysis. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, no superscript marks indicated that p > 0.10. CON: control group; AFB1 group (fed diet with 0.1 mg/kg AFB1); AFB1 + SDP group (AFB1 group + 0.25% SDP).
Figure 7
Figure 7
The protective effects of dietary seaweed (Enteromorpha prolifera)-derived polysaccharides on hepatic protein expression of p38MAPK, HO-1, total Nrf2, and nuclear Nrf2 in broiler chickens. * p < 0.05, no superscript marks indicated that p > 0.10. CON: control group; AFB1 group (fed diet with 0.1 mg/kg AFB1); AFB1 + SDP group (AFB1 group + 0.25% SDP).
Figure 8
Figure 8
Proposed model of the protective effects of seaweed (Enteromorpha prolifera)-derived polysaccharides against aflatoxin B1-induced hepatotoxicity in broiler chickens.
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