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

Baicalin protects against hepatocyte injury caused by aflatoxin B1 via the TP53-related ferroptosis Pathway

OBJECTIVE

Baicalin has antioxidative, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, its ability to alleviate oxidative stress (OS) and DNA damage in liver cells exposed to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a highly hepatotoxic compound, remains uncertain. In this study, the protective effects of baicalin on AFB1-induced hepatocyte injury and the mechanisms underlying those effects were investigated.

METHODS

Stable cell lines expressing CYP3A4 were established using lentiviral vectors to assess oxidative stress levels by conducting assays to determine the content of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Additionally, DNA damage was evaluated by 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and comet assays. Transcriptome sequencing, molecular docking, and in vitro experiments were conducted to determine the mechanisms underlying the effects of baicalin on AFB1-induced hepatocyte injury. In vivo, a rat model of hepatocyte injury induced by AFB1 was used to evaluate the effects of baicalin.

RESULTS

In vitro, baicalin significantly attenuated AFB1-induced injury caused due to OS, as determined by a decrease in ROS, MDA, and SOD levels. Baicalin also considerably decreased AFB1-induced DNA damage in hepatocytes. This protective effect of baicalin was found to be closely associated with the TP53-mediated ferroptosis pathway. To elaborate, baicalin physically interacts with P53, leading to the suppression of the expression of GPX4 and SLC7A11, which in turn inhibits ferroptosis. In vivo findings showed that baicalin decreased DNA damage and ferroptosis in AFB1-treated rat liver tissues, as determined by a decrease in the expression of γ-H2AX and an increase in GPX4 and SLC7A11 levels. Overexpression of TP53 weakened the protective effects of baicalin.

CONCLUSIONS

Baicalin can alleviate AFB1-induced OS and DNA damage in liver cells via the TP53-mediated ferroptosis pathway. In this study, a theoretical foundation was established for the use of baicalin in protecting the liver from the toxic effects of AFB1.

Polyphenol-enriched Penthorum chinense Pursh ameliorates alcohol-related liver injury through Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway: Integrating network pharmacology and experiment validation

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Penthorum chinense Pursh (PCP) has acknowledged as an edible herbal medicinal plant for the prevention and treatment of alcoholic liver injury (ALI). However, only few of researches focus on the chemical material basis and potential mechanisms of PCP against ALI.

AIM OF THE STUDY

Herein, we explored the therapeutic effects of PCP extract against ALI based on the integration of network pharmacology, molecular docking, and experiment validation.

METHODS

Based on the standard quality control of PCP herbs by UPLC fingerprint and quantitative determination, 80% ethanol extract fraction of PCP containing more polyphenols, compared to aqueous extract fraction of PCP, were chosen for further experiments. After oral administration of PCP ethanol extract, serum pharmacochemistry based on UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS analysis was implemented to evaluate the potential effective compounds. These absorbed prototypes in PCP were used to construct network pharmacology and predict the potential mechanisms of PCP extract against ALI. Then, the predicted targets and biological mechanisms of PCP extract were validated using animal experiments and molecular docking analysis.

RESULTS

Although totally 19 polyphenol compounds were identified in PCP ethanol extract by UPLC-MS analysis, only 18 absorbed prototypes were found in the serum collected from mice at 1 h post-administration with PCP extract. These candidate active compounds were further screened into 13 compounds to construct network pharmacology and 433 targets were identified as PCP targets. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses indicated that the effects of PCP extract would involve in Ras signaling pathway. The animal experiments on chronic ALI model mice shown that the oral administration of PCP can alleviate ALI by attenuating hepatic oxidative stress, inflammation and down-regulating the target proteins in Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway. Molecular docking analysis revealed the good binding ability between the three polyphenols (i.e. quercetin, apigenin, thonningianin B) in PCP with the top contribution in network pharmacology, and these target proteins (Ras, Raf, MEK1/2, and ERK1/2).

CONCLUSION

Our results clarified that PCP ethanol extract could effectively alleviate ALI by down-regulating Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway promisingly. Quercetin, apigenin, and thonningianin B may be the active compounds of PCP, attributing to the intervention benefits of PCP against ALI.

Penthorum chinense Prush extract alleviates aflatoxin B1-induced toxicity, oxidative stress and apoptosis via mediating Nrf2 signaling pathway in the Bursa of Fabricius of broilers

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is the primary mycotoxin that is responsible for the severe issues plaguing poultry farming. The study was aimed to explore the relevant pathways connected with immunity (inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis) in an AFB1-challenged chicken by using Penthorum chinense Prush extract (PCPE) in Bursa of Fabricius (BF) of broilers. A total one hundred and eighty day-old broilers were divided into six groups: Control, AFB1 (3 mg/kg feed), Yin-Chen-Hao Tang extract (YCHT) (10 ml/kg feed), and PCPE groups (low 1 g/kg, medium 2 g/kg, and high 3 g/kg PCPE/kg feed) respectively. The results showed that AFB1-challenged birds showed significant decrease in growth, BF weight index, serum antioxidant biomarkers and histopathological changes in BF tissues. The mRNA analysis showed that AFB1 upregulated the apoptosis associated genes (caspase-3, caspase-9, Bak, Bax and p53) and downregulated BCL-2. Additionally, AFB1 downregulated expression level of Nuclear Factor EF-2 (Nrf2) related genes (Nrf2, HO-1, NQO1 and GCLC) in the BF of broilers. The PCPE treatment showed positive impact on final weight gain, bursal index, and reversing of pathological changes in the BF of AFB1-challanged broilers. PCPE ameliorated oxidative stress generated by AFB1, as an increase in antioxidant enzyme activities, alleviated histopathological changes in BF, enhanced the Nrf2 expression levels and lowered the apoptosis gene expressions as compared to AFB1. The findings revealed that PCPE activated the Nrf2 pathway, antioxidant defense system and modulated the apoptosis in the BF of broiler chicken.

Unveiling the hub genes associated with aflatoxin B1-induced hepatotoxicity in chicken

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a ubiquitous and toxic mycotoxin in human food and animal feedstuff, can impair the function and health of some organs, especially the liver. However, the knowledge about the potential mechanisms of AFB1-induced hepatotoxicity in chickens is limited. Therefore, we analyzed the gene expression data of chicken embryo primary hepatocytes (CEPHs) treated with and without AFB1 at the dose of 0.1 μg/mL which were cultured at 37 °C in Medium 199 (Life Technologies, Shanghai, China) with 5.0% CO2 for 48 h. Totally 1,711 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, in which 1,170 and 541 genes were up- and down-regulated in AFB1-administrated CEPHs compared to the control, respectively. Biological process analysis suggested that these DEGs might take part in angiogenesis, cell adhesion, immune response, cell differentiation, inflammatory response, cell migration regulation, and blood coagulation. Signaling pathways analysis revealed that these DEGs were mainly linked to metabolic pathways, MAPK, TLR2, and actin cytoskeleton regulation pathways. Moreover, the hub genes, including GYS2, NR1H4, ALDH8A1, and ANGPTL3, might participate in AFB1-induced hepatotoxicity. Taken together, our study offers a new insight into the mechanisms of the AFB1-induced hepatotoxicity.

Aflatoxin B1 triggers apoptosis in rabbit hepatocytes via mediating oxidative stress and switching on the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is considered the most toxic carcinogenic compound, and exposure to AFB1 is highly associated with hepatocellular carcinoma. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different doses of AFB1 on growth performance and the liver of rabbits, as well as explore its underlying mechanisms. A total of eighty 30-day-old meat rabbits were randomly divided into four treatments. The control group was fed a pollution-free diet, while the AFL, AFM, and AFH groups were fed contaminated diets containing 13 μg/kg, 19 μg/kg, and 25 μg/kg of AFB1, respectively. The results showed that AFB1 had detrimental effects on the production performance of rabbits, resulting in decreased weight gain. Additionally, AFB1 exposure was associated with increased activity of Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), as well as decreased levels of total protein (TP) and albumin (ALB) in the serum. AFB1 induced the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) while inhibiting the activity of glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) activity in liver tissues. AFB1 decreased the mRNA transcription and protein expression of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and NAD(P)H dehydrogenase quinone-1 (NQO-1). AFB1 not only decreased the contents of cytochrome P4501A2 (CYP1A2), cytochrome P4502A6 (CYP2A6) and cytochrome P4503A4 (CYP3A4) but also increased the content of AFB1-DNA adducts in the liver. Furthermore, AFB1 enhanced the expression of cytochrome c (cyt-c), caspase-9, caspase-3, and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), while inhibiting the expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2). Therefore, we demonstrated that AFB1 triggered apoptosis in rabbit hepatocytes via mediating oxidative stress and switching on the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway, and decreased rabbit performance.

Penthorum chinense Pursh improves type 2 diabetes mellitus via modulating gut microbiota in db/db mice

Penthorum chinense Pursh (P. chinense) has been traditionally used as hepatoprotective food and medicine for hundreds of years due to its significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. However, the efficacy and mechanisms of action of P. chinense in type 2 diabetes mellitus were not fully understood. In this study, we found that P. chinense extract (PCP) supplementation resulted in reduced body weight and hyperglycemia, improved pancreatic tissue injury and insulin sensitivity, and decreased inflammatory cytokines expression in spontaneously diabetic db/db mice. 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal samples showed that PCP administration decreased the abundance of Firmicutes and increased the proportion of Bacteroidetes at the phylum level. Moreover, Muribaculum, Barnesiella, Prevotella, and Mucinivorans were enriched, with Desulfovibrio and Lactobacillus lowered at the genus level in db/db mice with PCP supplementation. These results suggested that PCP may ameliorate hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and inflammation by remodeling the gut microbiota in db/db mice.

Yeast polysaccharide mitigated oxidative injury in broilers induced by mixed mycotoxins via regulating intestinal mucosal oxidative stress and hepatic metabolic enzymes

This study was aimed to investigate the effects of yeast polysaccharides (YPS) on growth performance, intestinal health, and aflatoxin metabolism in livers of broilers fed diets naturally contaminated with mixed mycotoxins (MYCO). A total of 480 one-day-old Arbor Acre male broilers were randomly allocated into a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments (8 replicates with 10 birds per replicate) for 6 wk to assess the effects of 3 levels of YPS (0, 1, or 2 g/kg) on the broilers fed diets contaminated with or without MYCO (95 μg/kg aflatoxin B1, 1.5 mg/kg deoxynivalenol, and 490 μg/kg zearalenone). Results showed that mycotoxins contaminated diets led to significant increments in serum malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels, mRNA expressions of TLR4 and 4EBP1 associated with oxidative stress, mRNA expressions of CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2A6, and CYP3A4 associated with hepatic phase Ⅰ metabolizing enzymes, mRNA expressions of p53 associated with hepatic mitochondrial apoptosis, and AFB1 residues in the liver (P < 0.05); meanwhile dietary MYCO decreased the jejunal villus height (VH), villus height/crypt depth (VH/CD), the activity of serum total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), mRNA expressions of jejunal HIF-1α, HMOX, and XDH associated with oxidative stress, mRNA expressions of jejunal CLDN1, ZO1, and ZO2, and mRNA expression of GST associated with hepatic phase Ⅱ metabolizing enzymes of broilers (P < 0.05). Notably, the adverse effects induced by MYCO on broilers were mitigated by supplementation with YPS. Dietary YPS supplementation reduced the concentrations of serum MDA and 8-OHdG, jejunal CD, mRNA expression of jejunal TLR2, and 4EBP1, hepatic CYP1A2, and p53, and the AFB1 residues in the liver (P < 0.05), and elevated the serum T-AOC and SOD, jejunal VH, and VH/CD, and mRNA expression of jejunal XDH, hepatic GST of broilers (P < 0.05). There were significant interactions between MYCO and YPS levels on the growth performance (BW, ADFI, ADG, and F/G) at d 1 to 21, d 22 to 42, and d 1 to 42, serum GSH-Px activity, and mRNA expression of jejunal CLDN2 and hepatic ras of broilers (P < 0.05). In contrast with MYCO group, the addition of YPS increased BW, ADFI, and ADG, the serum GSH-Px activity (14.31%-46.92%), mRNA levels of jejunal CLDN2 (94.39%-103.02%), decreased F/G, and mRNA levels of hepatic ras (57.83%-63.62%) of broilers (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplements with YPS protected broilers from mixed mycotoxins toxicities meanwhile keeping normal performance of broilers, presumably via reducing intestinal oxidative stress, protecting intestinal structural integrity, and improving hepatic metabolic enzymes to minimize the AFB1 residue in the liver and enhance the performance of broilers.

Effect of Penthorum Chinense Pursh Compound on AFB1-Induced Immune Imbalance via JAK/STAT Signaling Pathway in Spleen of Broiler Chicken

Aflatoxin B1(AFB1) is the main secondary metabolite produced by Aspergillus flavus, which is highly toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic. It can induce immune imbalance in animals or humans. Penthorum chinense Pursh (PCP) is a traditional herbal plant that has been used as a hepatoprotective drug with a long history in China. Based on the theory of traditional Chinese Medicine, we prepared Penthorum chinense Pursh Compound (PCPC) by combining four herbal medicines: 5 g Penthorum chinense Pursh, 5 g Radix bupleuri, 1 g Artemisia capillaris Thunb and 1 g Radix glycyrrhizae. The role of the Penthorum chinense Pursh Compound (PCPC) in preventing AFB1-induced immune imbalance in broiler chickens was studied. A total of 180 broiler chickens were equally distributed in six groups: controls, AFB1, YCHD and high-, medium- and low-dose PCPC treatment groups. After 28 days, broilers were anesthetized, and serum spleen and thymus samples were collected for analysis. Results show that AFB1 significantly increased and decreased the relative organ weight of the spleen and thymus, respectively. Pathological section of hematoxylin/eosin (H&E) stained spleen sections showed that AFB1 resulted in splenic tissue damage. Both the serum levels of Immunoglobulin A (IgA) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) were suppressed in the AFB1 group. IL-6 was elevated in the AFB1 group. The balance between pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-2) and anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-4) was disturbed by AFB1. The apoptosis-related protein and JAK/STAT pathway-related gene expression indicated that AFB1-induced apoptosis via JAK/STAT pathway. PCPC has proven its immunoprotective effects by preventing AFB1-induced immune imbalance. PCPC can be applied as a novel immune-modulating medicine in broiler chickens. It can be applied as a novel immune modulator in veterinary clinical practice.

Aflatoxin B1 exposure induced developmental toxicity and inhibited muscle development in zebrafish embryos and larvae

The prevalence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), one of the most toxic mycotoxins that contaminates feedstock and food is increasing worldwide. AFB1 can cause various health problems in humans and animals, as well as direct embryotoxicity. However, the direct toxicity of AFB1 on embryonic development, especially foetal foetus muscle development, has not been studied in depth. In the present study, we used zebrafish embryos as a model to study the mechanism of the direct toxicity of AFB1 to the foetus, including muscle development and developmental toxicity. Our results showed that AFB1 caused motor dysfunction in zebrafish embryos. In addition, AFB1 induces abnormalities in muscle tissue architecture, which in turn causes abnormal muscle development in larvae. Further studies found that AFB1 destroyed the antioxidant capacity and tight junction complexes (TJs), causing apoptosis in zebrafish larvae. In summary, AFB1 may induce developmental toxicity and inhibit muscle development through oxidative damage, apoptosis and disruption of TJs in zebrafish larvae. Our results revealed the direct toxicity effects of AFB1 on the development of embryos and larvae, including inhibition of muscle development and triggering neurotoxicity, induction of oxidative damage, apoptosis and disruption of TJs, and fills the gap in the toxicity mechanism of AFB1 on foetal development.

Penthorum chinense Pursh compound flavonoids supplementation alleviates Aflatoxin B1-induced liver injury via modulation of intestinal barrier and gut microbiota in broiler

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a commonly occurring toxicant in animal and human diets, leading to hazardous effects on health. AFB1 is known to be a hepato-toxicant, and the intestinal barrier may play a crucial role in reversing AFB1-induced liver injury. This study aimed to optimize the extraction conditions of Penthorum chinense Pursh Compound Flavonoids (PCPCF) by the response surface method with a Box-Behnken design and investigate the effects of PCPCF on AFB1-induced liver injury in broilers. A total of 164 one-day-old broilers were divided into seven groups, including Control, PCPCF (400 mg PCPCF/kg feed), AFB1 (3 mg AFB1/kg feed), and YCHT (Yin-Chen-Hao-Tang extract, 3 mg AFB1 +10 mL YCHT/kg feed) and low, medium, and high dose groups (PCPCF at 3 mg AFB1 +200, 400, 600 mg respectively). Samples of serum, liver, duodenum, and cecum contents were collected at 14th and 28th days for further analysis. The results showed that the maximum extraction rate of PCPCF was 8.15 %. PCPCF was rich in rutin, quercetin, liquiritin and kaempferol, and significantly inhibited the growth of Aspergillus flavus. The addition of PCPCF improved the growth performance of AFB1-injury broilers, modulated liver function, and increased serum immunoglobulin levels. PCPCF also alleviated liver pathological and oxidative stress damages caused by AFB1 and decreased AFB1-DNA and AFB1-lysine content in the liver. Furthermore, PCPCF supplementation ameliorated intestinal pathological damage, improved intestinal permeability of duodenum in the AFB1-induced broilers, and repaired the intestinal mucosal and mechanical barrier associated with the Notch signaling pathway. Meanwhile, PCPCF improved the intestinal flora structure of AFB1-damaged broilers and increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria. In conclusion, PCPCF ameliorated the adverse effects of AFB1 on growth performance and alleviated liver damage by repairing the intestinal barrier and improving intestinal health of broiler chicken.

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

Traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) play an important role in the control and treatment of several animal diseases. Penthorum chinense Pursh (PCP) is a famous plant for its use in traditional medication practice and therapeutic effects in numerous pathological conditions. In China, PCP is utilized for both food and medication due to numerous bioactivities. PCP is widely administered in prevention and treatment of traumatic injury, edema, and liver diseases with functions of reducing swelling, support diuresis, blood stasis, and mitigation symptoms of excessive alcohol intake. Recently, PCP highlighted for research trials in various fields including pharmacology, pharmacognosy, cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals due to medicinal significance with less toxicity and an effective ethnomedicine in veterinary practice. PCP contains diverse important ingredients such as flavonoids, organic acids, coumarins, lignans, polyphenols, and sterols that are important bioactive constituents of PCP exerting the therapeutic benefits and organ-protecting effects. In veterinary, PCP extract, compound, and phytochemicals/biomolecules significantly reversed the liver and kidney injuries, via antioxidation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, mitochondrial signaling pathways, and related genes. PCP water extract and compounds also proved in animal and humans' clinical trial for their hepatoprotective, antiaging, nephroprotective, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antiapoptotic, immune regulation, and antioxidative stress pathways. This updated review spotlighted the current information on efficiency and application of PCP by compiling and reviewing recent publications on animal research. In addition, this review discussed the toxicology, traditional use, comparative, and clinical application of PCP in veterinary practices to authenticate and find out new perspectives on the research and development of this herbal medicine.

Taraxasterol alleviates aflatoxin B1-induced liver damage in broiler chickens via regulation of oxidative stress, apoptosis and autophagy

Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) is the most dangerous and abundant mycotoxin, which is toxic to almost all animals, and poultry is more sensitive to AFB₁ toxicity. Ingesting AFB₁-contaminated feed can cause significant liver damage and brings serious harm to poultry, which greatly restricts the development of the poultry industry. The present research was implemented to explore the intervention effect and its mechanism of taraxasterol on liver damage induced by AFB₁ in broiler chickens. The liver damage model in broiler chickens was established by feeding 0.5 mg/kg AFB₁ feed, and taraxasterol (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg BW, respectively) was given in the drinking water for 21 days. The growth performance, liver function, oxidative stress, apoptosis and autophagy were evaluated. The results showed that taraxasterol increased BW and reduced feed-to-gain ratio of broiler chickens induced by AFB₁. Taraxasterol improved the levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT), total bilirubin (TBIL) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and attenuated hepatic histopathological changes induced by AFB₁. Meantime, taraxasterol down-regulated cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzyme system CYP1A1 and CYP2A6 mRNA expression, inhibited the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), and enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT) and the content of antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD) of the liver in broiler chickens induced by AFB₁. Furthermore, taraxasterol up-regulated the mRNA and protein expression of hepatic nuclear factor E2 related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), and down-regulated the expression of hepatic kelch like ECH associated protein 1 (Keap1) induced by AFB₁ in Keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathway. The ultrastructural observation and RT-qPCR results found that taraxasterol inhibited apoptosis of hepatocytes, up-regulated the expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) mRNA and down-regulated the expression of Bax and caspase3 mRNA. Further, taraxasterol restored the autophagy of hepatocytes and down-regulated the mRNA expression of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase K (PI3K), protein kinase B (AKT) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in AFB₁-induced liver of broiler chickens. The above results indicate that taraxasterol alleviates liver damage induced by AFB₁ in broiler chickens through regulation of Keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathway to exert its antioxidant effect, mitochondrial apoptosis pathway to improve anti-apoptotic ability and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway to restore autophagy.

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

The contamination of animal feed with aflatoxins is an ongoing and growing serious issue, particularly for livestock farmers in tropical and subtropical regions. Exposure of animals to an aflatoxin-contaminated diet impairs feed efficiency and increases susceptibility to diseases, resulting in mortality, feed waste, and increased production costs. They can also be excreted in milk and thus pose a significant human health risk. This systematic review and network meta-analysis aim to compare and identify the most effective intervention to alleviate the negative impact of aflatoxins on the important livestock sector, poultry production. Eligible studies on the efficacy of feed additives to mitigate the toxic effect of aflatoxins in poultry were retrieved from different databases. Additives were classified into three categories based on their mode of action and composition: organic binder, inorganic binder, and antioxidant. Moreover, alanine transaminase (ALT), a liver enzyme, was the primary indicator. Supplementing aflatoxin-contaminated feeds with different categories of additives significantly reduces serum ALT levels (p < 0.001) compared with birds fed only a contaminated diet. Inorganic binder (P-score 0.8615) was ranked to be the most efficient in terms of counteracting the toxic effect of aflatoxins, followed by antioxidant (P-score 0.6159) and organic binder (P-score 0.5018). These findings will have significant importance for farmers, veterinarians, and animal nutrition companies when deciding which type of additives to use for mitigating exposure to aflatoxins, thus improving food security and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in developing countries.