Determination of Aflatoxin B1 biomarkers and its aplicability on efficience avaliation of adsorbents in broiler chickens

Author(s)

Agatha Cristina de Pinho Carão

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Pirassununga.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ/SBD)
• Defense date: 2016-02-29

Examining board members

Ricardo de Albuquerque; Carlos Humberto Corassin; Carlos Augusto Fernandes de Oliveira; Fernando Silva Ramalho; Márcia Izumi Sakamoto

• Advisor: Ricardo de Albuquerque

Abstract

Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites produced by toxigenic fungi of the species Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus and A. nomius. They are widely found in raw materials of animal feed, in particular corn, and have the ability to lead to clinical cases of acute or chronic aflatoxicosis, characterized by acute hepatites leading to death until lower performance by decreased weight or feed intake. Aflatoxin B1 has been considered the most dangerous metabolite, since it has high hepatotoxic power, besides being mutagenic and carcinogenic. Nowadays science works toward the discovery of substances that are reliable indicators of contamination by toxic components in humans and animals, called biomarkers, which measure a cell change, biological or molecular in a biological medium (human tissues, cells or fluids) that provide information regarding a disease or exposure to a particular substance. Its detection can assist in the identification, diagnosis and treatment of affected individuals who may be at risk, but still do not exhibit symptoms. Thus, with the help of analysis that confirm aflatoxin B1 pathogenicity (determination of liver enzymes activity, assessment of renal function, hematology, dosage of serum minerals and evaluation of animal performance), the objective of this work was to evaluate the applicability of the determination of aflatoxin liver residues and serum AFB1-lysine adduct in the evaluation of the adsorbents efficiency in broiler chickens. Two hundred and fourty day-old male chicks, Cobb 500® lineage, were randomly distributed into 4 experimental diets: Negative Control: Basal Feed (BF); BF + 0.5% adsorbent (hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate/HSCAS); RB + 0.5% adsorbent + 500 µg AFB1/kg of feed; and RB +500 µg AFB1/kg of feed. The experimental results show that the deleterious effect of AFB1, at the concentration used, is more pronounced that the protective effects of HSCAS on animal health parameters. There was no effective action of the adsorbent used on almost any variable studied, only for the reduction of the histopathological lesions in the liver, reduction of gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and phosphorus concentration, and increased count of red blood cells at 21 days. However, influenced positively the reduction of aflatoxin G1 liver residues at 21 days and the concentrations of serum AFB1-lysine at 21 and 42 days. These are important data because they allow to conclude that, although symptomatically the HSCAS has not exercised effective function, molecularly was able to show some efficacy on aflatoxin biomarkers in the birds body (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/07726-4 - Determination of Aflatoxin B1 biomarkers and its aplicability on efficience avaliation of adsorbents in broiler chickens.
• Grantee: Ágatha Cristina de Pinho Carão
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate