Bentonite-Yeast Binder Mitigates the Adverse Effects of Aflatoxin B1 on Intestinal Integrity and Performance in Broiler Chickens
Abstract
Chronic exposure to aflatoxin may induce intestinal dysfunction and impair poultry productivity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of toxin binders composed of bentonite, yeast cell wall, curcumin, and cinnamon in binding and mitigating the toxicity of aflatoxin B1 (AFB₁) in broiler chickens. The in vitro tests used four different toxin binder treatments: 100% bentonite (BEN), 100% yeast cell wall (YEAST), 50% bentonite + 50% yeast cell wall (BEN+Y), and 47.5% bentonite + 47.5% 3% curcumin, 2% cinnamon, and yeast cell wall (COMB). Two hundred eighty-eight male day-old chicks (DOC) were used in in vivo treatments and divided into six dietary treatments: basal control diet (CTRL), basal diet with 300 ppb AFB₁ (AF), basal diet plus BEN+Y (CTRL-A), basal diet + COMB (CTRL-B), AF + BEN+Y (AF-A), and AF + COMB (AF-B). Each treatment consisted of six replicates with eight birds per replicate. In vitro results indicated that BEN had the strongest AFB₁ binding capacity (p<0.05), while COMB also displayed a high binding capability, albeit slightly inferior to BEN. In vivo analysis showed that dietary exposure to AFB₁ markedly decreased average daily gain (ADG), feed efficiency, and the jejunal villus height to crypt depth ratio (VH:CD) (p<0.05). Broilers fed the AFB₁-contaminated diet (AF) showed downregulated tight junction gene expression (CLDN-1 and ZO-1) and upregulated pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression (TNFα and IL-18) (p<0.05). Supplementation with BEN+Y attenuated AFB₁-induced growth deficits, corrected the VH:CD ratio, normalized tight junction gene expression, and reduced intestinal inflammatory responses. In conclusion, the treatment BEN+Y showed the highest efficiency in mitigating the detrimental effects of dietary AFB₁ at 300 ppb, while the inclusion of curcumin and cinnamon did not show additional advantages.
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