Protective effect of two yeast based feed additives on pigs chronically exposed to deoxynivalenol and zearalenone

Effects of a Curcumin/Silymarin/Yeast-Based Mycotoxin Detoxifier on Redox Status and Growth Performance of Weaned Piglets under Field Conditions

The aim of this in vivo study was to investigate the effects of a novel mycotoxin detoxifier whose formulation includes clay (bentonite and sepiolite), phytogenic feed additives (curcumin and silymarin) and postbiotics (yeast products) on the health, performance and redox status of weaned piglets under the dietary challenge of fumonisins (FUMs). The study was conducted in duplicate in the course of two independent trials on two different farms. One hundred and fifty (150) weaned piglets per trial farm were allocated into two separate groups: (a) T1 (control group): 75 weaned piglets received FUM-contaminated feed and (b) T2 (experimental group): 75 weaned piglets received FUM-contaminated feed with the mycotoxin-detoxifying agent from the day of weaning (28 days) until 70 days of age. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARSs), protein carbonyls (CARBs) and the overall antioxidant capacity (TAC) were assessed in plasma as indicators of redox status at 45 and 70 days of age. Furthermore, mortality and performance parameters were recorded at 28, 45 and 70 days of age, while histopathological examination was performed at the end of the trial period (day 70). The results of the present study reveal the beneficial effects of supplementing a novel mycotoxin detoxifier in the diets of weaners, including improved redox status, potential hepatoprotective properties and enhanced growth performance.

Effective protective agents against organ toxicity of deoxynivalenol and their detoxification mechanisms: A review

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the most prevalent mycotoxins in feed, which causes organ toxicity in animals. Therefore, reducing DON-induced organ toxicity can now be accomplished effectively using protective agents. This review provides an overview of multiple studies on a wide range of protective agents and their molecular mechanisms against DON organ toxicity. Protective agents include plant extracts, yeast products, bacteria, peptides, enzymes, H2, oligosaccharides, amino acids, adsorbents, vitamins and selenium. Among these, biological detoxification of DON using microorganisms to reduce the toxicity of DON without affecting the growth performance of pigs may be the most promising detoxification strategy. This paper also evaluates future developments related to DON detoxification and discusses the detoxification role and application potential of protective agents. This paper provides new perspectives for future research and development of safe and effective feed additives.

Efficacy of Two Commercially Available Adsorbents to Reduce the Combined Toxic Effects of Dietary Aflatoxins, Fumonisins, and Zearalenone and Their Residues in the Tissues of Weaned Pigs

Mycotoxins present a significant health concern within the animal-feed industry, with profound implications for the pig-farming sector. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of two commercial adsorbents, an organically modified clinoptilolite (OMC) and a multicomponent mycotoxin detoxifying agent (MMDA), to ameliorate the combined adverse effects of dietary aflatoxins (AFs: sum of AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2), fumonisins (FBs), and zearalenone (ZEN) at levels of nearly 0.5, 1.0, and 1.0 mg/kg, on a cohort of cross-bred female pigs (N = 24). Pigs were randomly allocated into six experimental groups (control, mycotoxins (MTX) alone, MTX + OMC 1.5 kg/ton, MTX + OMC 3.0 kg/ton, MTX + MMDA 1.5 kg/ton, and MTX + MMDA 3.0 kg/ton), each consisting of four individuals, and subjected to a dietary regimen spanning 42 days. The administration of combined AFs, FBs, and ZEN reduced the body-weight gain and increased the relative weight of the liver, while there was no negative influence observed on the serum biochemistry of animals. The supplementation of OMC and MMDA ameliorated the toxic effects, as observed in organ histology, and provided a notable reduction in residual AFs, FBs, and ZEN levels in the liver and kidneys. Moreover, the OMC supplementation was able to reduce the initiation of liver carcinogenesis without any hepatotoxic side effects. These findings demonstrate that the use of OMC and MMDA effectively mitigated the adverse effects of dietary AFs, FBs, and ZEN in piglets. Further studies should explore the long-term protective effects of the studied adsorbent supplementation to optimize mycotoxin management strategies in pig-farming operations.

Use of Yeast Cell Wall Extract for Growing Pigs Consuming Feed Contaminated with Mycotoxins below or above Regulatory Guidelines: A Meta-Analysis with Meta-Regression

Using a random-effects meta-analysis, the performance of growing pigs under a mycotoxin challenge (MT) with or without supplementation of yeast cell wall extract (YCWE, Mycosorb®, Alltech Inc.) was evaluated. Both MT and YCWE were also compared to animal controls not receiving mycotoxins (CTRL). Meta-regression was used to further explore the impacts of MT at/below (category 1) or above (category 2) global regulatory guidelines. Following the screening, 23 suitable references (30 mycotoxin treatments) were used. Overall, MT lowered average daily gain (ADG, p < 0.001) and average daily feed intake (ADFI, p < 0.0001) from CTRL by -84 and -165 g, respectively. Inclusion of YCWE during mycotoxin challenges (YCWE+MT, average 2.1 kg/ton) tended to result in greater ADG (+17 g, p = 0.068) compared to MT treatments. The gain-to-feed ratio (G:F) was not impacted by MT or YCWE+MT. Further investigation by meta-regression revealed that pigs fed MT in category 1 had lower ADG (-78.5 g, p < 0.001) versus CTRL, while YCWE+MT had higher ADG (+48 g, p < 0.001) over MT and was similar to CTRL. The ADFI was not impacted, although YCWE+MT had ADFI values similar to the CTRL. In category 2, ADG and ADFI of pigs fed MT were lower than CTRL (-85.1 and -166 g, respectively, p < 0.0001), with a tendency for YCWE+MT to result in higher ADFI (+25.3 g, p = 0.062). In summary, the inclusion of YCWE provided benefits to performance during common mycotoxin challenge levels (at or below regulatory guidelines).

Efficacy of Feed Additive Containing Bentonite and Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Yeast on Intestinal Health and Growth of Newly Weaned Pigs under Chronic Dietary Challenges of Fumonisin and Aflatoxin

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of a feed additive containing bentonite and enzymatically hydrolyzed yeast on the intestinal health and growth of newly weaned pigs under chronic dietary exposure to fumonisin and aflatoxin. Newly weaned pigs were randomly allotted to one of four possible treatments: a control diet of conventional corn; a diet of corn contaminated with fumonisin and aflatoxin; a diet of mycotoxin-contaminated corn with 0.2% of feed additive; and a diet of mycotoxin contaminated corn with 0.4% of feed additive. We observed lower average weight gain and average daily feed intake in pigs that were fed only mycotoxin-contaminated corn compared to the control group. Feed additive supplementation linearly increased both average weight gain and feed intake, as well as tumor necrosis factor-alpha. In the jejunum, there was an observed decrease in immunoglobulin A and an increase in claudin-1. Additionally, feed additive supplementation increased the villus height to crypt depth ratio compared to the control. In conclusion, feed additives containing bentonite and enzymatically hydrolyzed yeast could mitigate the detrimental effects of mycotoxins on the growth performance of newly weaned pigs by improving intestinal integrity and positively modulating immune response.

Effect of Lactobacillus sp. and yeast supplementation on performance and some blood attributes in deoxynivalenol-challenged broiler chickens

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of probiotic (Lactobacillus sp.) and yeast (Saccharomycese cerevisiae) on performance, organ attributes and blood traits in broiler chickens. A total of 360 one-day-old female broiler chickens (Hubbard)® were allocated to 9 treatments and four replicates (10 birds per replication). The trail was performed in a completely randomized design (3 × 3 factorial arrangement) to examine the interaction effect of three concentrations of Lactobacillus sp. (0, 0.2 and 0.4 g/kg) and yeast (0, 0.75 and 1.5 g/kg) in deoxynivalenol (DON)-contaminated diets. The results showed that consumption of Lactobacillus sp. and yeast in DON-contaminated diets did not have a significant effect on broiler performance except for feed intake during starter period which was enhanced by yeast administration (P < 0.05). Increasing the Lactobacillus sp. content also reduced (P = 0.05) the proportional liver weight. Administration of Lactobacillus sp. to DON diets increased total protein, albumin and globulin concentrations (P < 0.05). Calcium and creatinine were influenced by yeast and Lactobacillus sp., respectively. Yeast (1.5 g/kg) and Lactobacillus sp. (0.2 g/kg) and combination of two additives (1.5 × 0.2) led to lower triglyceride concentration compared to DON group (P < 0.05). The DON diet increased aspartate amino transferase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) enzymes concentrations; while, inclusion of 0.4 g/kg Lactobacillus sp. to DON diet decreased AST and LDH enzymes concentrations (P < 0.05). In conclusion, administration of Lactobacillus sp. and yeast could not influence the performance of DON-fed birds; but these additives could reduce negative effects of DON on enzyme activities and some blood attributes.

Mycosorb A+® como adsorbente de micotoxinas en la dieta sobre la salud y la producción en cuyes

Los alimentos destinados a los animales están contaminados por hongos filamentosos que producen micotoxinas. El estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar el efecto de Mycosorb A+® como adsorbente de micotoxinas en la dieta sobre la salud, producción y beneficio económico de cuyes en crianza comercial. Se utilizaron 80 cuyes en crecimiento de la raza Perú, entre machos y hembras, con un peso de 435,5 ± 35,5 gramos (g), distribuidos al azar en dos grupos de alimentación: dieta con Mycosorb A+® (experimental) y dieta sin Mycosorb A+® (control), realizado en el distrito de Ilabaya-Tacna, Perú, a 1.425 metros de altitud, durante 57 días. La dieta se elaboró con heno molido de alfalfa, maíz amarillo, afrecho de trigo, torta de soya, harina integral de soya y fuentes de minerales y vitaminas, ofrecida para consumo ad libitum, más 12,5 g·día-1 de alfalfa fresca (H° 78 %) por cuy. Los resultados indican que todas las variables evaluadas, excepto el consumo de materia seca, fueron significativas (P<0,05): morbilidad 2,5 vs. 35,0 %; consumo de materia seca, 59,8 ± 2,1 vs. 58,0 ± 2,4 g·día-1; ganancia de peso vivo, 9,7 ± 1,4 vs. 7,8 ± 0,9 g·día-1; conversión alimenticia, 6,3 ± 0,9 vs. 7,5 ± 0,6; y relación beneficio-costo, 1,52 vs. 1,35, respectivamente. Se concluye que la inclusión de Mycosorb A+® como adsorbente de micotoxinas en la dieta tiene efecto positivo en la salud, producción y beneficio económico en la crianza comercial de cuyes.

New Insights into the Deposition of Zearalenone in Minipigs: A Suitable Bioindicator for Internal Exposure

The detrimental footprint of mycotoxins in agriculture and on animal production has been widely recognized, especially in swine. Despite an increased number of research evaluating the toxicokinetics of mycotoxins in animal organisms, the absorption, distribution, metabolization, and excretion (ADME) patterns of zearalenone (ZEN) need further understanding. Furthermore, in vivo bioindicator for ZEN exposure in individual pigs has yet to be characterized. This study explored the ADME of ZEN in Bama Aroma pigs, a Chinese miniature pig breed, that has been used herein as a swine model. The findings revealed that ZEN was mainly metabolized into α-zearalenol (α-ZOL), and both ZEN and α-ZOL were mostly found in conjugated forms in the plasma, urine, and bile. The concentration and composition patterns of ZEN and its metabolites were tissue-specific, implying that the small intestine, liver, kidney, and lung play different roles in ZEN metabolism. The plasma concentrations of ZEN + α-ZOL highly correlated (R² = 0.993) with the ZEN dietary exposure and may be utilized as a bioindicator to investigate animal exposure and mitigation efficacy of mycotoxin detoxifiers. This research would provide both fundamental information and a useful animal model for ZEN toxicity and detoxification studies.

Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Zearalenone Exposure on Uterine Development in Weaned Gilts

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of zearalenone (ZEA) exposure on uterine development in weaned gilts by quantitative proteome analysis with tandem mass spectrometry tags (TMT). A total of 16 healthy weaned gilts were randomly divided into control (basal diet) and ZEA3.0 treatments groups (basal diet supplemented with 3.0 mg/kg ZEA). Results showed that vulva size and uterine development index were increased (p < 0.05), whereas serum follicle stimulation hormone, luteinizing hormone and gonadotropin-releasing hormone were decreased in gilts fed the ZEA diet (p < 0.05). ZEA, α-zearalenol (α-ZOL) and β-zearalenol (β-ZOL) were detected in the uteri of gilts fed a 3.0 mg/kg ZEA diet (p < 0.05). The relative protein expression levels of creatine kinase M-type (CKM), atriopeptidase (MME) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were up-regulated (p < 0.05), whereas aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family member (ALDH1A2), secretogranin-1 (CHGB) and SURP and G-patch domain containing 1 (SUGP1) were down-regulated (p < 0.05) in the ZEA3.0 group by western blot, which indicated that the proteomics data were dependable. In addition, the functions of differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) mainly involved the cellular process, biological regulation and metabolic process in the biological process category. Some important signaling pathways were changed in the ZEA3.0 group, such as extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction, focal adhesion and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase−protein kinase B (PI3K-AKT) signaling pathway (p < 0.01). This study sheds new light on the molecular mechanism of ZEA in the uterine development of gilts.

Evaluation of dietary mycotoxin control strategies on nursery pig growth performance and blood measures

A total of 4,318 pigs (337 × 1,050, PIC; initially 6.5 ± 0.08 kg) were used in a 35-day study to evaluate dietary mycotoxin control strategies on nursery pig performance and blood measures. Pigs were weaned at approximately 21 d of age and randomly allotted to 1 of 5 dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design with blocking structure including sow farm origin, date of entry into facility, and average pen BW. A total of 160 pens were used with 80 double-sided 5-hole stainless steel fence line feeders, with feeder serving as the experimental unit. For each feeder, 1 pen contained 27 gilts and 1 pen contained 27 barrows. There were 16 replications per dietary treatment. A common phase 1 diet was fed to all pigs in pelleted form for 7 day prior to treatment diets. Experimental treatments were fed from days 7 to 42 after weaning (days 0 to 35 of the study) and included a low deoxynivalenol (DON) diet (1.12 ± 0.623 mg/kg), high DON diet (2.34 ± 1.809 mg/kg), high DON+ 0.50% sodium metabisulfite (SMB), high DON+ one of two mitigating products; 0.30% Technology1, or 0.30% Technology1+. Technology1 and 1+ are comprised of clays, yeast cell wall components, and a blend of plant extracts. Technology1+ also contains SMB. Overall (days 0 to 35), pigs fed high DON had decreased (P < 0.05) final BW, ADG, and ADFI compared with low DON. Additionally, pigs fed high DON+SMB had increased (P < 0.05) ADG compared with all other treatments. An improvement (P < 0.05) in G:F was observed in pigs fed high DON + SMB or high DON + Technology1+ compared with the low DON or high DON + Technology1 diets with high DON diets intermediate. Pigs fed high DON + SMB or high DON + Technology1 diets had reduced (P < 0.05) total removals and mortality compared with pigs fed low DON diets with high DON and high DON + Technology1+ intermediate. Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of circulating blood collected on day 35 revealed that pigs fed high DON or high DON + Technology1 had increased (P < 0.05) DON concentrations compared to low DON with high DON + SMB and high DON + Technology1+ intermediate. In summary, pigs fed high DON diets had reduced performance compared with pigs fed low DON. Sodium metabisulfite in high DON diets provided a benefit in growth performance with ADG and G:F exceeding growth performance in the low DON diet while, the improved G:F ratio combined with other immunometabolic changes (gamma glutamyltransferase and creatine kinase) associated with Technology1+ warrant further investigation.

Protective effects of biological feed additives on gut microbiota and the health of pigs exposed to deoxynivalenol: a review

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is the most common mycotoxin contaminant of cereal-based food and animal feed. The toxicity of DON is very low compared to that of other toxins; however, the most prominent signs of DON exposure include inappetence and body weight loss, which causes considerable economic losses in the livestock industry. This review summarizes critical studies on biological DON mycotoxin mitigation strategies and the respective in vitro and in vivo intestinal effects. Focus areas include growth performance, gut health in terms of intestinal histomorphology, epithelial barrier functions, the intestinal immune system and microflora, and short-chain fatty acid production in the intestines. In addition, DON detoxification and modulation of these parameters, through biological supplements, are discussed. Biological detoxification of DON using microorganisms can attenuate DON toxicity by modulating gut microbiota and improving gut health with or without influencing the growth performance of pigs. However, the use of microorganisms as feed additives to livestock for mycotoxins detoxification needs more research before commercial use.

Nutritional impact of mycotoxins in food animal production and strategies for mitigation

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi that are commonly detected as natural contaminants in agricultural commodities worldwide. Mycotoxin exposure can lead to mycotoxicosis in both animals and humans when found in animal feeds and food products, and at lower concentrations can affect animal performance by disrupting nutrient digestion, absorption, metabolism, and animal physiology. Thus, mycotoxin contamination of animal feeds represents a significant issue to the livestock industry and is a health threat to food animals. Since prevention of mycotoxin formation is difficult to undertake to avoid contamination, mitigation strategies are needed. This review explores how the mycotoxins aflatoxins, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, fumonisins and ochratoxin A impose nutritional and metabolic effects on food animals and summarizes mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of mycotoxicity.

Impact of a Natural Fusarial Multi-Mycotoxin Challenge on Broiler Chickens and Mitigation Properties Provided by a Yeast Cell Wall Extract and a Postbiotic Yeast Cell Wall-Based Blend

Yeast cell wall-based preparations have shown efficacy against Aspergillus-based toxins but have lower impact against type-B trichothecenes. Presently, we investigated a combination of deoxynivalenol (DON), T-2 toxin (T2) and zearalenone (ZEA), and the effect of a yeast cell wall extract (YCWE) and a post-biotic yeast cell wall-based blend (PYCW) with the objectives of preventing mycotoxins’ negative effects in commercial broilers. A total of 720 one-day-old male Cobb broilers were randomly allocated to: (1) control diet, (aflatoxins 6 µg/kg; cyclopiazonic acid 15 µg/kg; fusaric acid 25 µg/kg; fumonisin B1 310 µg/kg); (2) Diet1 + 0.2% YCWE; (3) Diet1 + 0.2% PYCW; (4) Contaminated diet (3.0 mg/kg DON; 2.17 mg/kg 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol; 104 g/kg T2; 79 g/kg ZEA); (5) Diet4 + 0.2% YCWE; and (6) Diet4 + 0.2% PYCW. Naturally contaminated diets adversely affected performance, serum biochemistry, liver function, immune response, altered cecal SCFA goblet cell count and architecture of intestinal villi. These adverse effects were reduced in birds fed PYCW and to a lesser extent YCWE, indicating protection against toxic assault. PYCW yielded better production performance and stimulated liver function, with higher response to NDV and IBV vaccination. Furthermore, mycotoxins were found to affect production outputs when evaluated with the European poultry production efficiency factor compared to control or YCWE and PYCW supplemented treatments. Taken together, YCWE, when complemented with nutritional add-ons (PYCW), could potentiate the remediation of the negative effects from a multi mycotoxins dietary challenge in broiler birds.

Zearalenone toxicosis on reproduction as estrogen receptor selective modulator and alleviation of zearalenone biodegradative agent in pregnant sows

BACKGROUND

Zearalenone (ZEA) is a resorcylic acid lactone derivative derived from various Fusarium species that are widely found in food and feeds. The molecular structure of ZEA resembles that of the mammalian hormone 17β-oestradiol, thus zearalenone and its metabolites are known to compete with endogenous hormones for estrogen receptors binding sites and to activate transcription of oestrogen-responsive genes. However, the effect of long-term low-dose ZEA exposure on the reproductive response to Bacillus subtilis ANSB01G culture for first-parity gilts has not yet been investigated. This study was conducted to investigate the toxic effects of ZEA as an estrogen receptor selective modulator and the alleviating effects of Bacillus subtilis ANSB01G cultures as ZEA biodegraders in pregnant sows during their first parity.

RESULTS

A total of 80 first-parity gilts (Yorkshire × Landrace) were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments during gestation: CO (positive control); MO (negative control, 246 μg ZEA/kg diet); COA (CO + B. subtilis ANSB01G culture with 2 × 10⁹ CFU/kg diet); MOA (MO + B. subtilis ANSB01G culture with 2 × 10⁹ CFU/kg diet). There were 20 replications per treatment with one gilt per replicate. Feeding low-dose ZEA naturally contaminated diets disordered most of reproductive hormones secretion and affected estrogen receptor-α and estrogen receptor-β concentrations in serum and specific organs and led to moderate histopathological changes of gilts, but did not cause significant detrimental effects on reproductive performance. The addition of Bacillus subtilis ANSB01G culture to the diet can effectively relieve the competence of ZEA to estrogen receptor and the disturbance of reproductive hormones secretion, and then ameliorate toxicosis of ZEA in gilts.

CONCLUSIONS

Collectively, our study investigated the effects of feeding low-dose ZEA on reproduction in pregnant sows during their first parity. Feeding low-dose ZEA could modulate estrogen receptor-α and -β concentrations in specific organs, cause disturbance of reproductive hormones and vulva swelling, and damage organ histopathology and up-regulate apoptosis in sow models. Diet with Bacillus subtilis ANSB01G alleviated negative effects of the ZEA on gilts to some extent.

An In Vitro Study on the Efficacy of Mycotoxin Sequestering Agents for Aflatoxin B1, Deoxynivalenol, and Zearalenone

Simple Summary

Mycotoxins in feeds can cause detrimental effects on the growth performance and health of pigs. One of the methods used to overcome the negative effects of mycotoxins in animal feeds is to add toxin sequestering agents to feed. The present work was conducted to determine the efficacy of mycotoxin sequestering agents using an in vitro method. All mycotoxin sequestering agents effectively bound to aflatoxin B1; only activated charcoal effectively sequestered deoxynivalenol; and a bentonite product, an aluminosilicate product, and activated charcoal effectively sequestered zearalenone.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of mycotoxin sequestering agents for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), deoxynivalenol (DON), and zearalenone (ZEA) using an in vitro method. The twelve toxin sequestering agents tested were seven bentonite products (bentonite A, B, C, D, E, F, and G), two aluminosilicate products (aluminosilicate A and B), a heulandite product, an activated charcoal product, and a yeast cell wall product. A two-step in vitro procedure was employed to mimic the conditions of temperature, pH, and digestive enzymes in the stomach and small intestine of pigs. All mycotoxin sequestering agents tested were able to bind to AFB1 with a high efficacy (>92%). The DON sequestering rate of activated charcoal (99.1%) was greater (p < 0.05) than that of other products. The ZEA sequestering rate of bentonite F (97.0%), aluminosilicate A (99.6%), and activated charcoal (100.0%) was the greatest (p < 0.05) among the tested mycotoxin sequestering agents. Overall, most mycotoxin sequestering agents had the ability to bind to AFB1, but most products, except activated charcoal, failed to sequester DON and ZEA.

Effects of Bacillus subtilis ZJ-2019-1 on Zearalenone Toxicosis in Female Gilts

The purpose of this research was to investigate the toxicity of zearalenone (ZEN) on the growth performance, genital organs, serum hormones, biomarkers, and histopathological changes of female gilts and to evaluate the efficacy of Bacillus subtilis ZJ-2019-1 in alleviating ZEN toxicosis in gilts. Twenty-four female gilts were randomly allocated to four groups with six replicates per group and one gilt per replicate, fed on four feeds prepared previously, which were basic diet (control group, C group), ZEN diet (Z group), Zlb diet (Zlb group) containing B. subtilis ZJ-2019-1 in liquid form, and Zdb diet (Zdb group) containing B. subtilis ZJ-2019-1 in dehydrated form. The results showed that the vulva size and relative weight of reproductive organs had no significant difference in the control group, Zlb group, and Zdb group, but were significantly lower than in the Z group (p < 0.05); the relative weight of the liver was lower in the C group, Zlb group, and Zbd group than in the Z group (0.05 < p < 0.1). The concentration of serum glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) was lower, but follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) was higher in the Z group, Zlb group, and Zdb group than in the Z group (0.05 < p < 0.1). Additionally, serum luteinizing hormone (LH) concentration had no significant difference in the C group, Zlb group, and Zdb group but was significantly lower than in the Z group (p < 0.05); estradiol (E2) was significantly lower in the Zlb group and Zdb group than that in C group, but significantly higher than that in Z group (p < 0.05); PRL was significantly higher in the Zlb group and Zdb group than in the C group, but was significantly lower than in Z group (p < 0.05). ZEN and its reduced metabolites were measured in biological samples after enzymatic hydrolysis of the conjugated forms. The concentration of serum ZEN and its metabolite, α-zeralenol (α-ZOL), had no significant difference in Zlb, Zdb, and control groups but was significantly lower than in the Z group (p < 0.05); urine ZEN and its metabolites, α-ZOL and β-zeralenol (β-ZOL), had no significant difference in Zlb, Zdb, and control groups but was significantly lower than in the Z group (p < 0.05). Cell damages were observed in the liver, uterus, and ovary of gilts in the Z group and alleviated in Zlb and Zdb groups, but the loss of oocytes was irreversible in the ovary. The ZEN-contaminated diet caused serious changes in female hormones and brought harm to the livers and reproductive organs, but B. subtilis ZJ-2019-1 could naturally remove the ZEN significantly, which ameliorated the reproductive impairment in gilts caused by ZEN. The addition of B. subtilis ZJ-2019-1 to ZEN-contaminated feeds could ameliorate the toxic effects effectively, regardless of liquid or dry culture. Therefore, the B. subtilis ZJ-2019-1 strain has great potential industrial applications.

Protective effect of a new generation of activated and purified bentonite in combination with yeast and phytogenic substances on mycotoxin challenge in pigs

The study aimed to investigate the efficacy of new mycotoxin adsorbents based on purified and activated bentonites combined with yeast and phytogenic compounds in fattening pigs. The experiment involved 96 pigs (31.2±2.4 kg). Control (C) group was fed a diet naturally contaminated with mycotoxins (5 mg/kg deoxynivalenol, DON) without an adsorbent. Treated groups received the feed with mycotoxin adsorbents: purified and activated bentonite (T1), purified and activated bentonite, yeast derivatives, phytogenic substances (T2), and purified, activated, and sulphurated bentonite with phytogenic substances (T3). Evaluated parameters involved growth performance, organ weight, small intestine and liver histopathology, complete blood count, serum biochemistry, antioxidant status of the organism and total and free DON content in urine. In all treated groups, an significant increase in intestinal GSH and GSH/GSSG ratio was observed when compared to C. No significant effects on liver and kidney weight, complete blood count, serum or intestinal malondialdehyde concentration, or total/free DON content in urine were observed. All adsorbents improved histopathological findings in the liver when compared to C. Moreover, T1, and T2 groups showed no presence of inflammatory reaction or necrotic changes in the livers. Although, mycotoxin adsorbents investigated in this study had no significant impact on pig growth performance, they reduced the oxidative stress, and on the tissue level they protected the jejunal tissue and liver parenchyma under deoxynivalenol challenge.

Mycotoxin deactivator improves performance, antioxidant status, and reduces oxidative stress in nursery pigs fed diets containing mycotoxins

Ingestion of mycotoxins can result in many problems, including decreased growth rates and immune suppression. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of the supplementation of a mycotoxin deactivator composed by adsorbent clay minerals; inactivated fermentation extracts of Saccharomyces cerevisiae; and blend of antioxidants, organic acids, and botanicals in diets containing added mycotoxins for nursery pigs on their performance and antioxidant status. Ninety pigs weaned with 24 d of age (7.12 ± 0.68 kg of BW) were used. Pigs were housed in pens of three animals each according to body weight, litter origin, and sex. The dietary treatments consisted of feeding the pigs with a standard control diet as negative control (NC; mycotoxin levels at accepted regulatory Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture standards; deoxynivalenol (DON): <100 μg/kg; zearalenone (ZEA): <20 μg/kg; fumonisins (FB): <1 mg/kg); the standard diet added with mycotoxins to reach a low contamination level is considered as positive low (PCL-; DON: 900 μg/kg; ZEA: 100 μg/kg; FB: 5,000 μg/kg) without deactivator; a positive low added the deactivator at an inclusion rate of 1 kg/ton (PCL+); the standard diet added with mycotoxins to reach a high contamination level is considered as positive high (PCH-; DON: 4,500 μg/kg; ZEA: 500 μg/kg; FB: 18,000 μg/kg) without the deactivator; and a positive high added the deactivator at an inclusion rate of 5 kg/ton (PCH+). Pigs were individually weighed at the beginning and at the end of each phase and feed intake recorded based on daily pen intake during the experiment. On days 7, 19, 34, and 43 post-weaning, blood samples were drawn for antioxidant analyses. Antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase [GPx] and total superoxide dismutase [TSOD]), vitamins [Vit A, E, and C], and malondialdehyde [MDA]) were evaluated in erythrocyte and plasma samples. Pigs challenged with mycotoxins presented lower performance traits, decrease in the efficiency of central antioxidant systems (↓GPx, ↓TSOD, ↓Vit A, ↓Vit E, and ↓Vit C), and a higher oxidative damage to lipids (↑MDA) when compared with the control and deactivator-associated treatments. Our findings showed that the use of a mycotoxin deactivator can mitigate the negative impacts on performance and oxidative stress when animals are subjected to diets contaminated by different levels of mycotoxins.

Protective Effects of Bacillus subtilis ANSB060, Bacillus subtilis ANSB01G, and Devosia sp. ANSB714-Based Mycotoxin Biodegradation Agent on Mice Fed with Naturally moldy Diets

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by toxigenic fungi that commonly contaminate agricultural crops. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate whether Bacillus subtilis ANSB060, Bacillus subtilis ANSB01G, and Devosia sp. ANSB714-based mycotoxin biodegradation agent (MBA) could alleviate the negative effects of naturally moldy diet containing aflatoxin (AF), zearalenone (ZEN), and deoxynivalenol (DON) on growth performance, serum immune function, and antioxidant capacity as well as tissue residues in mice. A total of 54 mice were randomly divided into three dietary treatments: basal diet (CON), multi-mycotoxins contaminated diet (MCD) containing AF, ZEN and DON and multi-mycotoxins contaminated diet plus MBA at a dose of 1.0 g kg^-1 feed (MCD + MBA). Mice fed with moldy diet showed a significant decrease in body weight gain (p < 0.05), whereas the relative weight of the liver, spleen and uterus were remarkably increased (p < 0.05). Serum IgA and IgM contents were significantly decreased in MCD treatment compared with that in CON treatment (p < 0.05). In contrast, serum interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentrations were significantly promoted in mice fed with moldy diet (p < 0.05). Besides, the exposure to mycotoxins caused marked down-regulation of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities in mice (p < 0.05). The addition of MBA effectively counteracted these toxic effects of moldy diet on mice. And DON residues in kidneys of mice consuming moldy diet were eliminated by the supplementation with MBA. Taken together, Bacillus subtilis ANSB060, Bacillus subtilis ANSB01G, and Devosia sp. ANSB714-based mycotoxin biodegradation agent has great potential use as a microbial additive to counteract mycotoxins contamination in food and feed.

Phytobiotics with Adsorbent to Mitigate Toxicity of Multiple Mycotoxins on Health and Growth of Pigs

Phytobiotics with a mycotoxin adsorbent were used to mitigate negative effects of multiple mycotoxins in diets fed to pigs. In experiment 1, 120 pigs (11.6 kg body weight; BW) were assigned to five treatments (three pigs/pen) and fed for 28 days. Treatments were CON (control), MTD (CON + 2.5 mg/kg of deoxynivalenol), DP (MTD + phytobiotics at 0.1%), and DPA1 and DPA2 (MTD + phytobiotics and adsorbent at 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively). In experiment 2, 96 pigs (28.5 kg BW) were assigned to four treatments (three pigs/pen) and fed for 26 days. Treatments were CON, MTAF (CON + 0.19 mg/kg of aflatoxin and 8 mg/kg of fumonisins), AFP (MTAF + phytobiotics at 0.1%), and AFPA (MTAF + phytobiotics and adsorbent at 0.1%). Growth performance was measured weekly, and blood was sampled at the end of study to measure hepatic function and inflammatory status (TNF-α). Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure. In experiment 1, pigs fed MTD, DP, DPA1, and DPA2 had smaller (p < 0.05) BW than CON. Pigs fed DPA2 had greater (p < 0.05) BW than MTD. Pigs fed DP and DPA2 tended to have lower (p < 0.1) serum total protein than CON. Pigs fed MTD and DPA2 tended to have higher (p < 0.1) alanine aminotransferase than CON. Similarly, pigs fed MTD, DP, and DPA2 tended to have higher (p < 0.1) urea nitrogen/creatinine than CON. In experiment 2, pigs fed MTAF, AFP, and AFPA had smaller (p < 0.05) BW than CON. Pigs fed MTAF, AFP, and AFPA had smaller (p < 0.05) ADFI than CON. Pigs fed AFPA had higher (p < 0.05) aspartate aminotransferase than CON and MTAF. Pigs fed AFP and AFPA had higher (p < 0.05) alanine aminotransferase than CON. Pigs fed MTAF, AFP, and AFPA had lower (p < 0.05) urea nitrogen/creatinine than CON. Pigs fed AFPA had higher (p < 0.05) TNF-α than CON and MTAF. In conclusion, feeding an additional 2.5 mg/kg of deoxynivalenol or 0.19 mg/kg of aflatoxin with 8 mg/kg of fumonisins reduced the growth of pigs. Deoxynivalenol compromised the hepatic function of pigs. Phytobiotics with adsorbent could partly overcome the detrimental effects of mycotoxins.

Live Yeast or Live Yeast Combined with Zinc Oxide Enhanced Growth Performance, Antioxidative Capacity, Immunoglobulins and Gut Health in Nursery Pigs

This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary LY or LY combined with ZnO supplementation on performance and gut health in nursery pigs. 192 Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire piglets (weaned on d 32 of the age with 9.2 ± 1.7 kg BW) were allocated into four treatments with eight replicate pens, six piglets per pen. The treatments included a basal diet as control (CTR), an antibiotic plus ZnO diet (CTC-ZnO, basal diet + 75 mg/kg of chlortetracycline + ZnO (2000 mg/kg from d 1 to 14, 160 mg/kg from d 15 to 28)), a LY diet (LY, basal diet + 2 g/kg LY), and a LY plus ZnO diet (LY-ZnO, basal diet + 1 g/kg LY + ZnO). The results showed that pigs fed LY or LY-ZnO had increased (p < 0.05) average daily gain, serum IgA, IgG, superoxide dismutase, fecal butyric acid, and total volatile fatty acid concentrations, as well as decreased (p < 0.05) feed conversion ratio and diarrhea rate compared with CTR. In conclusion, pigs fed diets with LY or LY combined with ZnO had similar improvement to the use of antibiotics and ZnO in performance, antioxidant status, immunoglobulins, and gut health in nursery pigs.

Physiological Effects of Deoxynivalenol from Naturally Contaminated Corn on Cerebral Tryptophan Metabolism, Behavioral Response, Gastrointestinal Immune Status and Health in Pigs Following a Pair-Feeding Model

This study investigated the impact of deoxynivalenol (DON) from naturally contaminated feed on pig growth, immune status, organ health, brain serotonin (5-Hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) and behavior. Sixteen individually housed pigs (25.57 ± 0.98 kg, age 9 weeks) were randomly allotted to two dietary treatments: without DON (CON) or with 3.8 mg/kg of DON (MT). Pigs were pair-fed to eliminate differences in feed intake (equal tryptophan (Trp) intake). Pigs fed CON received a daily ration based on the ad libitum feed consumption of their MT pair-mate. Performance was determined over 21 days and blood collected for immunological and oxidative stress parameters. Behavior was recorded for 12 h on days 0, 7, 14 and 21. After 21 days, pigs were euthanized to collect tissues for immune parameters, gut morphology and brain serotonin levels. Overall, pigs fed MT had greater weight gain compared with CON. Immunological and oxidative stress parameters were unaffected, but pigs fed MT had reduced villus height, crypt depth and villus-to-crypt ratio in the jejunum. Pigs consuming MT had reduced concentration of 5-HT and increased 5-HT turnover in the hypothalamus. Mycotoxin-fed pigs spent more time lying and sitting, and less time standing and drinking. In conclusion, consumption of DON impacted gastrointestinal tract structure, altered behavior and changed Trp metabolism through increasing 5-HT turnover in hypothalamus.

Evaluation of the mitigation efficacy of a yeast cell wall extract toward deoxynivalenol contaminated diet fed to turbot (Scophthalmus maximus)

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the most common mycotoxins in animal feed worldwide and causes significant threats to the animal health. Increased use of plant ingredients in aquaculture feeds increased the risk of mycotoxin contamination. To evaluate the effects of dietary deoxynivalenol (DON) on growth performance, immune response and intestinal health of turbot and the mitigation efficacy of yeast cell wall extract (YCWE) toward DON, nine isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were formulated: Diet 1 (control): No DON added; Diets 2-5 or Diets 6-9: 0.5 or 3.0 mg added DON/kg diet + 0%, 0.1%, 0.2%, or 0.4% YCWE, respectively. Results showed that Diet 6 (3 mg/kg DON, 0% YCWE) significantly decreased weight gain, specific growth rate and feed efficiency ratio of fish and reduced immunoglobulin M and complement 4 concentrations in serum. Fish fed Diet 6 presented morphological alterations, lower activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase and total antioxidant capacity but higher malondialdehyde content, lower claudin-4 and occludin expression but higher interleukin-1β expression in intestine. Besides, Diet 6 decreased the abundance of potential helpful bacteria but increased the abundance of potential pathogens in intestine. While, dietary YCWE, especially Diet 8 (3 mg/kg DON, 0.2% YCWE) and 9 (3 mg/kg DON, 0.4% YCWE), markedly improved growth performance and immune response and enhanced the intestinal health of turbot. In conclusion, dietary YCWE could mitigate the toxic effects induced by DON in turbot, and could be used as an effective strategy to control DON contamination in fish feed.

Characterization, mechanism of cypermethrin biosorption by Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains YS81 and HP and removal of cypermethrin from apple and cucumber juices by inactive cells

Cypermethrin is a common food contaminant and environmental pollutant that cause health threats to animals and humans. In this study, the characterization, mechanism, and application of cypermethrin removal by Saccharomyces cerevisiae were investigated. The binding of cypermethrin by the strains S. cerevisiae YS81 and HP was rapid and reached equilibrium at 2-8 h. The removal efficiency was dependent on incubation temperature and yeast concentration, whereas cypermethrin binding was not affected by pH. Heat and acid treatments enhanced the binding ability. Both strains survived in simulated digestion juices and removed cypermethrin effectively under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Among the strains tested, the YS81 strain was the better candidate for cypermethrin concentration reduction. For the two S. cerevisiae strains, the biosorption kinetics and isotherm followed the pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir model well. The cell walls and the protoplasts were the main yeast cell components involved in cypermethrin binding. Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy analysis revealed that -OH, -NH, -C-N, -COO^-, and -C-O played a major role in binding cypermethrin. Inactive cells effectively removed cypermethrin from apple and cucumber juices and did not affect the physico-chemical properties. Therefore, S. cerevisiae strains YS81 and HP may be used for cypermethrin reduction in food or feed.

Mycotoxin Occurrence, Toxicity, and Detoxifying Agents in Pig Production with an Emphasis on Deoxynivalenol

This review aimed to investigate the occurrence of mycotoxins, their toxic effects, and the detoxifying agents discussed in scientific publications that are related to pig production. Mycotoxins that are of major interest are aflatoxins and Fusarium toxins, such as deoxynivalenol and fumonisins, because of their elevated frequency at a global scale and high occurrence in corn, which is the main feedstuff in pig diets. The toxic effects of aflatoxins, deoxynivalenol, and fumonisins include immune modulation, disruption of intestinal barrier function, and cytotoxicity leading to cell death, which all result in impaired pig performance. Feed additives, such as mycotoxin-detoxifying agents, that are currently available often combine organic and inorganic sources to enhance their adsorbability, immune stimulation, or ability to render mycotoxins less toxic. In summary, mycotoxins present challenges to pig production globally because of their increasing occurrences in recent years and their toxic effects impairing the health and growth of pigs. Effective mycotoxin-detoxifying agents must be used to boost pig health and performance and to improve the sustainable use of crops.

Intestinal Health of Pigs Upon Weaning: Challenges and Nutritional Intervention

The primary goal of nursery pig management is making a smooth weaning transition to minimize weaning associated depressed growth and diseases. Weaning causes morphological and functional changes of the small intestine of pigs, where most of the nutrients are being digested and absorbed. While various stressors induce post-weaning growth depression, the abrupt change from milk to solid feed is one of the most apparent challenges to pigs. Feeding functional feed additives may be viable solutions to promote the growth of nursery pigs by enhancing nutrient digestion, intestinal morphology, immune status, and by restoring intestinal balance. The aim of this review was to provide available scientific information on the roles of functional feed additives in enhancing intestinal health and growth during nursery phase. Among many potential functional feed additives, the palatability of the ingredient and the optimum supplemental level are varied, and these should be considered when applying into nursery pig diets. Considering different stressors pigs deal with in the post-weaning period, research on nutritional intervention using a single feed additive or a combination of different additives that can enhance feed intake, increase weight gain, and reduce mortality and morbidity are needed to provide viable solutions for pig producers. Further research in relation to the feed palatability, supplemental level, as well as interactions between different ingredients are needed.

Structure, preparation, modification, and bioactivities of β-glucan and mannan from yeast cell wall: A review

In order to solve the antibiotic resistance, the research on antibiotic substitutes has received an extensive attention. Many studies have shown that β-glucan and mannan from yeast cell wall have the potential to replace antibiotics for the prevention and treatment of animal diseases, thereby reducing the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens. β-Glucan and mannan had a variety of biological functions, including improving the intestinal environment, stimulating innate and acquired immunity, adsorbing mycotoxins, enhancing antioxidant capacity, and so on. The biological activities of β-glucan and mannan can be improved by chemically modifying its primary structure or reducing molecular weight. In this paper, the structure, preparation, modification, and biological activities of β-glucan and mannan were reviewed, which provided future perspectives of β-glucan and mannan.

Effect of a probiotic (Lactobacillus sp.), yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and mycotoxin detoxifier alone or in combination on performance, immune response and serum biochemical parameters in broilers fed deoxynivalenol-contaminated diets

Context Deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination of feedstuffs causes detrimental effects on animals and poultry. Dietary inclusion of microbial feed additives, such as probiotics and/or yeast, seems to be a useful approach for DON detoxification and reducing the toxin absorption from the gut. Aims This study was conducted to evaluate the synergetic effects of a probiotic (Lactobacillus spp.), yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and mycotoxin detoxifier on performance, serum chemical parameters and immune status of broiler chickens fed a DON-contaminated diet. Methods A total of 200 1-day-old female broilers (Hubbard®) were allocated to five dietary treatments with four replicates each in a completely randomised design. Experimental diets consisted of: (1) control diet (basal diet), (2) DON diet (basal diet contaminated with 10 mg/kg DON), (3) DON diet supplemented with 0.25% mycotoxin detoxifier (Mycofix® Plus), (4) DON diet supplemented with a combination of 0.4 g/kg probiotic and 1.5 g/kg yeast, and (5) DON diet supplemented with a combination of a probiotic, yeast and mycotoxin detoxifier. Key results The results showed that the DON diet significantly increased the feed conversion ratio compared with mycotoxin detoxifier and control diets. Administration of 0.4 g/kg probiotic along with 1.5 g/kg yeast to a DON-contaminated diet caused a significant enhancement of dressing percentage, leg relative weight and aspartate aminotransferase enzyme activity. The DON-contaminated diet reduced total protein, albumin, triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations, but consumption of a probiotic, yeast and mycotoxin detoxifier improved the levels of these parameters. The DON-treated birds showed a reduction in haematocrit, haemoglobin, red blood cells and blood lymphocyte percentage in comparison with control levels. The inclusion of a combination of a probiotic and yeast along with mycotoxin detoxifier diminished the increased heterophil: lymphocyte ratio by DON administration. The antibody titre against Newcastle disease virus vaccine increased by inclusion of a probiotic, yeast and Mycofix. Conclusions In summary, a combination of a probiotic and yeast along with mycotoxin detoxifier can improve the enzyme activity, immunity and haematological attributes, which are useful for DON-contaminated diet detoxification. Implications Dietary supplementation with a probiotic, yeast and mycotoxin detoxifier could be used as an alternative to detoxification DON in broiler chickens.

Investigation of the efficacy of mycotoxin-detoxifying additive on health and growth of newly-weaned pigs under deoxynivalenol challenges

Objective

This study evaluated the effects of feeding diets naturally contaminated with deoxynivalenol (supplemental 2 mg/kg) on health, growth, and the effects of a mycotoxin-detoxifying additive in newly-weaned pigs.

Methods

Thirty-six pigs (27 day-old) were housed individually and assigned to 3 treatments for 5 weeks: CON (diet containing minimal deoxynivalenol), MT (diet with supplemental 1.9 mg/kg of deoxynivalenol), and MT+D (MT + mycotoxin-detoxifying additive, 0.2%, MegaFix, ICC, São Paulo, Brazil). The mycotoxin-detoxifying additive included bentonite, algae, enzymes, and yeast. Blood was taken at week 2 and 5. Jejunal tissue were taken at week 5. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS.

Results

Pigs fed MT+D tended to have decreased (p = 0.056) averaged daily feed intake during week 1 than MT. At week 2, serum aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase in MT tended to be lower (p = 0.059) than CON, whereas it was increased (p< 0.05) for MT+D than MT, indicating hepatic damages in MT and recovery in MT+D. Pigs fed MT had lower (p<0.05) blood urea nitrogen/creatinine than CON, supporting hepatic damage. At week 5, pigs fed MT tended to have reduced (p = 0.079) glucose than CON, whereas it was increased (p<0.05) for MT+D than MT, indicating impaired intestinal glucose absorption in MT, which was improved in MT+D. Pigs fed CON tended to have increased (p = 0.057) total glutathione in jejunum than MT, indicating oxidative stress in MT. Pigs fed MT+D had a reduced (p<0.05) proportion of Ki-67-positive cells in jejunum than MT, indicating lower enterocyte proliferation in MT+D.

Conclusion

Feeding supplemental 1.9 mg/kg of deoxynivalenol reduced growth and debilitated hepatic health of pigs, as seen in leakage of hepatic enzymes, impaired nitrogen metabolism, and increase in oxidative stress. The mycotoxin-detoxifying enhanced hepatic health and glucose levels, and attenuated gut damage in pigs fed deoxynivalenol contaminated diets.

Investigation of the Efficacy of a Postbiotic Yeast Cell Wall-Based Blend on Newly-Weaned Pigs under a Dietary Challenge of Multiple Mycotoxins with Emphasis on Deoxynivalenol

Pigs are highly susceptible to mycotoxins. This study investigated the effects of a postbiotic yeast cell wall-based blend (PYCW; Nicholasville, KY, USA) on growth and health of newly-weaned pigs under dietary challenge of multiple mycotoxins. Forty-eight newly-weaned pigs (21 d old) were individually allotted to four dietary treatments, based on a three phase-feeding, in a randomized complete block design (sex; initial BW) with two factors for 36 d. Two factors were dietary mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol: 2000 μg/kg supplemented in three phases; and aflatoxin: 200 μg/kg supplemented only in phase 3) and PYCW (0.2%). Growth performance (weekly), blood serum (d 34), and jejunal mucosa immune and oxidative stress markers (d 36) data were analyzed using MIXED procedure of SAS. Mycotoxins reduced (p < 0.05) average daily feed intake (ADFI) and average daily gain (ADG) during the entire period whereas PYCW did not affect growth performance. Mycotoxins reduced (p < 0.05) serum protein, albumin, creatinine, and alanine aminotransferase whereas PYCW decreased (p < 0.05) serum creatine phosphokinase. Neither mycotoxins nor PYCW affected pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative damage markers in the jejunal mucosa. No interaction was observed indicating that PYCW improved hepatic enzymes regardless of mycotoxin challenge. In conclusion, deoxynivalenol (2000 μg/kg, for 7 to 25 kg body weight) and aflatoxin B1 (200 μg/kg, for 16 to 25 kg body weight) impaired growth performance and nutrient digestibility of newly-weaned pigs, whereas PYCW could partially improve health of pigs regardless of mycotoxin challenge.

Bacillus subtilis ANSB01G culture alleviates oxidative stress and cell apoptosis induced by dietary zearalenone in first-parity gestation sows

This study was conducted to evaluate the alleviation of Bacillus subtilis ANSB01G culture as zearalenone (ZEA) biodegradation agent on oxidative stress, cell apoptosis and fecal ZEA residue in the first parity gestation sows during the gestation. A total of 80 first-parity gilts (Yorkshire × Landrace) were randomly allocated to 4 dietary treatments with 20 replications per treatment and one gilt per replicate. The dietary treatments were as follows: CO (positive control); MO (negative control, ZEA level at 246 μg/kg diet); COA (CO + B. subtilis ANSB01G culture with 2 × 10⁹ CFU/kg diet); MOA (MO + ZEA level at 260 μg/kg diet + B. subtilis ANSB01G culture with 2 × 10⁹ CFU/kg diet). The experiment lasted for the whole gestation period of sows. Results showed that feeding the diet naturally contaminated with low-dose ZEA caused an increase of cell apoptosis in organ and the residual ZEA in feces as well as a decrease of antioxidant function in serum. The addition of B. subtilis ANSB01G culture in the diets can effectively alleviate the status of oxidative stress and cell apoptosis induced by ZEA in diets of gestation sows, as well as decrease the content of residual ZEA in feces.

Efficacy of Mycotoxin Detoxifiers on Health and Growth of Newly-Weaned Pigs under Chronic Dietary Challenge of Deoxynivalenol

The efficacy of yeast-based mycotoxin detoxifiers on health and growth performance of newly-weaned pigs (27-d-old) fed diets naturally contaminated with deoxynivalenol was investigated. Sixty pigs were individually assigned to five treatments for 34 d: NC (negative control, 1.2 mg/kg of deoxynivalenol); PC (positive control, 3.2 mg/kg of deoxynivalenol); CYC (PC + clay/yeast culture-based product, 0.2%); CYE (PC + clay/yeast cell wall/plant extracts/antioxidants-based product, 0.2%); and CYB (PC + clay/inactivated yeast/botanicals/antioxidants-based product, 0.2%). Blood and jejunal mucosa were sampled, and data were analyzed using Proc Mixed of SAS with pre-planned contrasts. Deoxynivalenol reduced the average daily gain (ADG) in phase 3. Pigs fed CYC had greater overall ADG, average daily feed intake during phase 3, and gain to feed ratio during phase 2 than PC. At d 14, deoxynivalenol reduced blood urea nitrogen/creatinine and tended to reduce blood urea nitrogen. Pigs fed CYB tended to have greater aspartate aminotransferase than PC. At d 34, pigs fed CYC and CYB tended to have lower serum creatine phosphokinase than PC. Pigs fed CYE had lower blood urea nitrogen/creatinine than PC. In jejunal mucosa, deoxynivalenol tended to increase malondialdehydes and decrease glutathione. Pigs fed CYE and CYB had lower malondialdehydes, pigs fed CYB had greater glutathione and tended to have lower immunoglobulin A than PC. Pigs fed CYC and CYE tended to have lower interleukin 8 than PC. In summary, deoxynivalenol challenge (1.2 vs. 3.2 mg/kg) mildly compromised growth performance and increased the oxidative stress of pigs. Mycotoxin detoxifiers could partially overcome deoxynivalenol toxicity enhancing liver health, whereas CYE and CYB reduced oxidative stress, and CYC and CYB reduced immune activation. In conclusion, yeast-based detoxifiers with functional components as clay/inactivated yeast/botanicals/antioxidants had increased detoxifying properties in newly-weaned pigs challenged with deoxynivalenol, potentially by enhancing adsorbability, immune function, gut health, and reducing oxidative stress.

Effect of Carotenoids, Oligosaccharides and Anthocyanins on Growth Performance, Immunological Parameters and Intestinal Morphology in Broiler Chickens Challenged with Escherichia coli Lipopolysaccharide

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of carotenoid, oligosaccharide and anthocyanin supplementation in broiler diets under Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Ross 308 chickens were fed 5 diets: basal diet (control diet), diet supplemented with β-glucan in 0.05% (positive control) and diets with 0.5% carotenoid-, oligosaccharide- or anthocyanin contents. On the 26th days of age, chickens were challenged intraperitoneally 2 mg LPS per kg of body weight. 12 h after injection, birds were euthanized, then spleen and ileum samples were collected. LPS induced increased relative mRNA expression of splenic (p = 0.0445) and ileal (p = 0.0435) interleukin-1β (IL-1β), which was lower in the spleen in carotenoid (p = 0.0114), oligosaccharide (p = 0.0497) and anthocyanin (p = 0.0303)-treated chickens compared to LPS-injected control birds. Dietary supplementation of carotenoids also decreased relative gene expression of splenic interleukin-6 (IL-6) (p = 0.0325). In the ileum, β-glucan supplementation showed lower relative mRNA expression of toll-like receptor 5 (TLR-5) (p = 0.0387) compared to anthocyanin treatment. Gene expression of both splenic and ileal interferon-α (IFN-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) and toll-like receptor 5 (TLR-5) were not influenced by dietary supplements. In conclusion, carotenoids, oligosaccharides and anthocyanins could partially mitigate the immune stress caused by LPS challenge. All of the compounds impacted longer villus height (p < 0.0001), villus height:crypt depth ratios were higher after β-glucan (p < 0.0001) and anthocyanin (p = 0.0063) supplementations and thickened mucosa was observed in β-glucan (p < 0.0001), oligosaccharide (p < 0.0001) and anthocyanin (p = 0.048) treatments. All of these findings could represent a more effective absorption of nutrients.

Efficacy of a Yeast Cell Wall Extract to Mitigate the Effect of Naturally Co-Occurring Mycotoxins Contaminating Feed Ingredients Fed to Young Pigs: Impact on Gut Health, Microbiome, and Growth

Mycotoxins are produced by fungi and are potentially toxic to pigs. Yeast cell wall extract (YCWE) is known to adsorb mycotoxins and improve gut health in pigs. One hundred and twenty growing (56 kg; experiment 1) and 48 nursery piglets (6 kg; experiment 2) were assigned to four dietary treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial design for 35 and 48 days, respectively. Factors were mycotoxins (no addition versus experiment 1: 180 μg/kg aflatoxins and 14 mg/kg fumonisins; or experiment 2: 180 μg/kg aflatoxins and 9 mg/kg fumonisins, and 1 mg/kg deoxynivalenol) and YCWE (0% versus 0.2%). Growth performance, blood, gut health and microbiome, and apparent ileal digestibility (AID) data were evaluated. In experiment 1, mycotoxins reduced ADG and G:F, and duodenal IgG, whereas in jejunum, YCWE increased IgG and reduced villus width. In experiment 2, mycotoxins reduced BW, ADG, and ADFI. Mycotoxins reduced ADG, which was recovered by YCWE. Mycotoxins reduced the AID of nutrients evaluated and increased protein carbonyl, whereas mycotoxins and YCWE increased the AID of the nutrients and reduced protein carbonyl. Mycotoxins reduced villus height, proportion of Ki-67-positive cells, and increased IgA and the proportion of bacteria with mycotoxin-degrading ability, whereas YCWE tended to increase villus height and reduced IgA and the proportion of pathogenic bacteria in jejunum. The YCWE effects were more evident in promoting gut health and growth in nursery pigs, which showed higher susceptibility to mycotoxin effects.

Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on alleviating cytotoxicity of porcine jejunal epithelia cells induced by deoxynivalenol

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the mycotoxins most frequently encountering in cereal-based foods throughout the world. Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used to alleviate porcine jejunal epithelia cell (IPEC-J2) injury induced by DON in this study. The results indicated that cell viability and proliferation rates were significantly decreased when DON concentrations were increased from 0 to 64 µM after 24 h incubation (p < 0.05). The longer incubation time and higher DON concentrations would cause more serious effects on cell viability. S. cerevisiae could significantly degrade DON and decrease lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) release in the cells induced by DON (p < 0.05). DON (4 µM) could increase necrotic and apoptotic cell rates as well as decrease viable cell rates, compared with the control group (p < 0.05). However, S. cerevisiae addition in the DON group could decrease necrotic, late apoptotic and early apoptotic cell rates by 38.05%, 46.37% and 44.78% respectively, increase viable cell rates by 2.35%, compared with the single DON group (p < 0.05). In addition, S. cerevisiae addition could up-regulate mRNA abundances of IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10 in IPEC-J2 cells (p < 0.05), but down-regulate mRNA abundances of tight junction proteins (TJP-1) and occludin by 36.13% and 50.18% at 1 µM of DON (p < 0.05). It could be concluded that S. cerevisiae was able to alleviate IPEC-J2 cell damage exposed to DON.

The Protective Role of Bacillus velezensis A2 on the Biochemical and Hepatic Toxicity of Zearalenone in Mice

Zearalenone (ZEN) is an estrogen-like mycotoxin produced by Fusarium that seriously compromises the safety of animal and human health. In this study, our aim was to evaluate the protective effect of Bacillus velezensis A2 against biochemical and pathological changes induced by zearalenone in mice. Kunming mice (n = 40; 25 ± 2 g) were allotted to four treatment groups: a control group (basic feed); a ZEN group (basic feed with a ZEN dose of 60 mg/kg); an A2 strain fermented feed group (150 g of feed mixed with 150 mL of sterile distilled water and inoculated with 5 mL of phosphate buffer salt (PBS) resuspended A2 strain); and an A2 strain fermented ZEN-contaminated feed group. (A2 strain group 150 mL pure bacterial distilled water system mixed with 150 g ZEN-contaminated feed.) Our results showed that the Bacillus velezensis A2 strain can completely degrade the ZEN-contaminated feed within 5 days. (The concentration of ZEN in fermentation was 60 μg/mL.) After the mice fed for 28 days, compared with the control group, the activities of AST and ALT were increased, the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) were decreased, and the amount of creatinine (CRE), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), uric acid (UA), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the ZEN group were increased in the mice serum (p < 0.05; p < 0.01). However, compared with the ZEN group, these biochemical levels were reversed in the A2 strain fermented feed group and in the A2 strain fermented ZEN-contaminated feed group (p < 0.05; p < 0.01). Furthermore, histopathological analysis only showed pathological changes of the mice liver in the ZEN group. The results showed that Bacillus velezensis A2 as additive could effectively remove ZEN contamination in the feed and protect the mice against the toxic damage of ZEN. In conclusion, Bacillus velezensis A2 has great potential use as a microbial feed additive to detoxify the toxicity of zearalenone in production practice.

Intestinal toxicity of deoxynivalenol is limited by supplementation with Lactobacillus plantarum JM113 and consequentially altered gut microbiota in broiler chickens

Background

Limited research has focused on the effect of Lactobacillus on the intestinal toxicity of deoxynivalenol (DON). The present study was conducted to investigate the role of Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) JM113 in protecting against the intestinal toxicity caused by DON.

Methods

A total of 144 one-day-old healthy Arbor Acres broilers were randomly distributed into 3 treatments, including the CON (basal diet), the DON (extra 10 mg/kg deoxynivalenol), and the DL (extra 1 × 10⁹ CFU/ kg L. plantarum JM113 based on DON group) treatments. The growth performance, organ indexes, intestinal morphology, pancreatic digestive enzymes, intestinal secreted immunoglobulin A (sIgA), jejunal transcriptome, and intestinal microbiota were evaluated.

Results

Compared with the CON and DL groups, the DON supplementation altered intestinal morphology, especially in duodenum and jejunum, where villi were shorter and crypts were deeper (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the significantly decreased mRNA expression of jejunal claudin-1 and occludin (P < 0.05), ileal rBAT and jejunal GLUT1 of 21-day-old broilers (P < 0.05), as well as duodenal PepT1 and ileal rBAT of 42-day-old broilers were identified in the DON group. Moreover, supplementation with L. plantarum JM113 could increase duodenal expression of IL-10 and IL-12 of 21-day-old broilers, ileal sIgA of 42-day-old broilers, and the bursa of Fabricius index of 21-day-old broilers. Further jejunal transcriptome proved that the genes related to the intestinal absorption and metabolism were significantly reduced in the DON group but a significant increase when supplemented with extra L. plantarum JM113. Furthermore, the bacteria related to nutrient utilization, including the Proteobacteria, Escherichia, Cc-115 (P < 0.05), Lactobacillus and Prevotella (P < 0.1) were all decreased in the DON group. By contrast, supplementation with L. plantarum JM113 increased the relative abundance of beneficial bacterium, including the Bacteroidetes, Roseburia, Anaerofustis, Anaerostipe, and Ruminococcus bromii (P < 0.05). Specifically, the increased abundance of bacteria in the DL group could be proved by the significantly increased caecal content of propionic acid, n-Butyric acid, and total short-chain fatty acid.

Conclusions

L. plantarum JM113 enhanced the digestion, absorption, and metabolic functions of the gut when challenged with DON by reducing the injury to intestinal barriers and by increasing the abundance of beneficial bacterium.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s40104-018-0286-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Bacillus velezensis A2 fermentation exerts a protective effect on renal injury induced by Zearalenone in mice

Zearalenone (ZEN) is an estrogen-like mycotoxin occurring in food and feeds, and it can cause oxidative damage and apoptosis in the testis, liver, and kidney. A current concern for researchers is how to reduce the harm it causes to humans and animals. In this study, our aim was to isolate and identify a novel and efficient ZEN-detoxifying strain of bacteria, and we aimed to assess the protective effect of the isolated strain on kidney damage caused by ZEN in mice. Our results indicated that a strain of Bacillus velezensis (B. velezensis), named A2, could completely degrade ZEN (7.45 μg/mL) after three days of incubation at 37 °C in the Luria-Bertani (LB) medium. This fermentation broth of the B. velezensis A2 strain was given to mice. The histopathological analysis indicated that the fermentation broth from the B. velezensis A2 strain reduced the degree of renal injury that is induced by ZEN. Furthermore, it greatly reduced the increase in serum levels of creatinine (CRE), uric acid (UA), and urea nitrogen (BUN) caused by ZEN. In addition, B. velezensis A2 strain also significantly inhibited the increase of malonaldehyde (MDA) content, and reversed the decreases of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities caused by ZEN. Studies have shown that ZEN is involved in the regulation of mRNA and protein levels of genes involved in the ER stress-induced apoptotic pathway, such as heavy chain binding protein (BIP), C-/-EBP homologous protein (CHOP), cysteine Aspartate-specific protease-12 (Caspase-12), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and BCL2-related X protein (Bcl-2 and Bax). However, when mice were administered the fermentation broth of the B. velezensis A2 strain, it significantly reversed the expressions of these genes in their kidney tissue. In conclusion, our results indicate that the newly identified strain of B. velezensis A2, has a protective effect from renal injury induced by ZEN in mice. This strain has a potential application in the detoxification of ZEN in feed and protects animals from ZEN poisoning.

A review of the mycotoxin adsorbing agents, with an emphasis on their multi-binding capacity, for animal feed decontamination

Contamination of animal feed with mycotoxins still occurs very often, despite great efforts in preventing it. Animal feeds are contaminated, at low levels, with several mycotoxins, particularly with those produced by Aspergillus and Fusarium genera (Aflatoxin B_1, Ochratoxin A, Zearalenone, Deoxynivalenol and Fumonisina B₁). In animal feed, to date, only Aflatoxin B₁ is limited through EU regulation. Consequently, mycotoxins cause serious disorders and diseases in farm animals. In 2009, the European Union (386/2009/EC) approved the use of mycotoxin-detoxifying agents, as feed additives, to prevent mycotoxicoses in farm animals. The present review gives an overview of the problem of multi-mycotoxin contamination of feed, and aims to classify mycotoxin adsorbing agents (minerals, organic, and synthetic) for feed decontamination, focusing on adsorbents with the ability to bind to multiple mycotoxins, which should have a more effective application in farms but they are still little studied in scientific literature.

Intestinal challenge with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in pigs, and nutritional intervention to prevent postweaning diarrhea

Gut health of nursery pigs immediately after weaning is tightly associated with their growth performance and economic values. Postweaning diarrhea (PWD) is one of the major concerns related to gut health of nursery pigs which often is caused by infections of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), mainly including F4 (K88)+ and F18+E. coli. The main virulence factors of ETEC are adhesins (fimbriae or pili) and enterotoxins. The common types of fimbriae on ETEC from PWD pigs are F18+ and F4+. Typically, PWD in pigs is associated with both F18+ and F4+ ETEC infections whereas pre-weaning diarrhea in pigs is associated with F4+ ETEC infection. Enterotoxins including heat-labile enterotoxins (LT) and heat-stable peptide toxins (ST) are associated with causing diarrhea in pigs. At least 109 to 1010 ETEC are required to induce diarrhea in nursery pigs typically lasting 1 to 5 days after ETEC infection. Antibiotics used to be the most effective way to prevent PWD, however, with the increased bacterial resistance to antibiotics, alternatives to the use of antibiotics are urgently needed to prevent PWD. Immunopropylaxis and nutritional intervention of antimicrobial minerals (such as zinc oxide and copper sulfate), organic acids, functional feedstuffs (such as blood plasma and egg yolk antibodies), direct fed microbials, phytobiotics, and bacteriophage can potentially prevent PWD associated with ETEC. Some other feed additives such as nucleotides, feed enzymes, prebiotic oligosaccharides, and clay minerals can enhance intestinal health and thus indirectly help with preventing PWD. Numerous papers show that nutritional intervention using selected feed additives can effectively prevent PWD.

Antioxidant activity of JM113 in vitro and its protective effect on broiler chickens challenged with deoxynivalenol

The aim of this experiment was to study the antioxidant capacity of JM113 isolated from healthy intestinal contents of Tibetan chicken and its protective effect on broiler chickens challenged with deoxynivalenol (DON). Compared with PZ01 and M23, JM113 demonstrated maximum reducing ( < 0.05) activity and resistance in the presence of 1.2 mmol/L hydrogen peroxide, and great scavenging ability ( < 0.05) against hydroxyl, superoxide anion, and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals in vitro. For each strain, the antioxidant activities of live bacterial strains were greater ( < 0.05) than of cell free extracts and dead bacterial strains. To examine the antioxidant capacity of JM113 in vivo, 192 1-d-old Arbor Acres chicks were randomly divided into 4 treatments groups consisting of 6 replicates with 8 birds per replicate. The dietary treatments were 1) control; 2) control diet supplemented with JM113 at 1 × 10 cfu/kg; 3) control diet contaminated with DON at 10 mg/kg; 4) control diet contaminated with DON at 10 mg/kg and supplemented with JM113 at 1 × 10 cfu/kg. Dietary supplementation with DON decreased ( < 0.05) superoxide dismutase activity in serum and increased ( < 0.05) malondialdehyde in the jejunal mucosa of broilers, compared to the control. However, supplementation with JM113 to both the DON-contaminated diet and the control diet, caused a significant reduction ( < 0.05) in malondialdehyde activity in the jejunal mucosa. A reduction ( < 0.05) in expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 was observed in the jejunal mucosa of broilers fed dietary supplementation with DON, whereas the mRNA levels of and its corresponding downstream gene increased ( < 0.05) with JM113 treatment. Addition of JM113 resulted in longer villi ( < 0.05), even in combination with DON compared to the DON group. JM113 treatment, especially in the DON plus JM113 group, up-regulated ( < 0.05) the expression of mRNA. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that the JM113 strain has great antioxidant activity and supplementation in feed protected the integrity of the intestinal barrier in broilers challenged with DON, suggesting its use for alleviation of negative effects of DON in poultry.

Ribosome quality control is a central protection mechanism for yeast exposed to deoxynivalenol and trichothecin

Background

The trichothecene mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON) and trichothecin (TTC) are inhibitors of eukaryotic protein synthesis. Their effect on cellular homeostasis is poorly understood. We report a systematic functional investigation of the effect of DON and TTC on the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae using genetic array, network and microarray analysis. To focus the genetic analysis on intracellular consequences of toxin action we eliminated the PDR5 gene coding for a potent pleiotropic drug efflux protein potentially confounding results. We therefore used a knockout library with a pdr5Δ strain background.

Results

DON or TTC treatment creates a fitness bottleneck connected to ribosome efficiency. Genes isolated by systematic genetic array analysis as contributing to toxin resistance function in ribosome quality control, translation fidelity, and in transcription. Mutants in the E3 ligase Hel2, involved in ribosome quality control, and several members of the Rpd3 histone deacetylase complex were highly sensitive to DON. DON and TTC have similar genetic profiles despite their different toxic potency. Network analysis shows a coherent and tight network of genetic interactions among the DON and TTC resistance conferring gene products. The networks exhibited topological properties commonly associated with efficient processing of information. Many sensitive mutants have a "slow growth" gene expression signature. DON-exposed yeast cells increase transcripts of ribosomal protein and histone genes indicating an internal signal for growth enhancement.

Conclusions

The combination of gene expression profiling and analysis of mutants reveals cellular pathways which become bottlenecks under DON and TTC stress. These are generally directly or indirectly connected to ribosome biosynthesis such as the general secretory pathway, cytoskeleton, cell cycle delay, ribosome synthesis and translation quality control. Gene expression profiling points to an increased demand of ribosomal components and does not reveal activation of stress pathways. Our analysis highlights ribosome quality control and a contribution of a histone deacetylase complex as main sources of resistance against DON and TTC.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-2718-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Stress, Nutrition, and Intestinal Immune Responses in Pigs - A Review

Modern livestock production became highly intensive and large scaled to increase production efficiency. This production environment could add stressors affecting the health and growth of animals. Major stressors can include environment (air quality and temperature), nutrition, and infection. These stressors can reduce growth performance and alter immune systems at systemic and local levels including the gastrointestinal tract. Heat stress increases the permeability, oxidative stress, and inflammatory responses in the gut. Nutritional stress from fasting, antinutritional compounds, and toxins induces the leakage and destruction of the tight junction proteins in the gut. Fasting is shown to suppress pro-inflammatory cytokines, whereas deoxynivalenol increases the recruitment of intestinal pro-inflammatory cytokines and the level of lymphocytes in the gut. Pathogenic and viral infections such as Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus can lead to loosening the intestinal epithelial barrier. On the other hand, supplementation of Lactobacillus or Saccharaomyces reduced infectious stress by ETEC. It was noted that major stressors altered the permeability of intestinal barriers and profiles of genes and proteins of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in mucosal system in pigs. However, it is not sufficient to fully explain the mechanism of the gut immune system in pigs under stress conditions. Correlation and interaction of gut and systemic immune system under major stressors should be better defined to overcome aforementioned obstacles.