Vegetable biocholine as a hepatoprotectant in laying hens fed with diet contaminated with aflatoxin B1

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine whether the addition of vegetable biocholine (VB) in laying hens feed minimises the effects of daily intake of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). We allocated Hy-line Brown line laying hens into four groups with four replications/group and four birds/repetition. The treatments were as follows: Afla0Bio0: basal feed without aflatoxin and VB (natural contamination: 0.026 mg AFB1/kg), Afla0Bio800, basal feed supplementation of 800 mg VB/kg (natural contamination: 0.024 mg AFB1/kg); Afla2.5Bio0, basal feed contaminated experimentally with aflatoxin (2.51 mg/kg); Afla2.5Bio800, basal feed contaminated with aflatoxin (2.50 mg/kg) and supplemented with 800 mg VB/kg. The experiment took place over a period of 42 days, divided into two cycles of 21 days each. Significance was indicated by P≤0.05. The inclusion of aflatoxin reduced egg production after 42 days of consumption of contaminated feed. VB supplementation in the tested dose was insufficient to minimise the negative effects of the toxin on the laying rate. There was a lower percentage of yolk in Afla2Bio0 than in Afla0Bio0, and a higher percentage of albumen and specific gravity in Afla2.5Bio0 than in Afla0Bio0. Ingestion of aflatoxin in the feed increased lipoperoxidation (LPO) and decreased antioxidant capacity in the egg yolk; however, when VB was added, LPO was similar to the control. Lower total bacterial count (TBC) in the eggshell was observed when the birds consumed VB, as well as higher TBC in the eggshell of the birds was challenged with aflatoxin. In the blood of birds that consumed aflatoxin (Afla2.5Bio0) there was an increase in the activity of alkaline phosphatase and a reduction in the activities of glutathione S-transferase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). In the birds that consumed VB without aflatoxin challenge, we observed that there was a stimulation of GPx activity. We conclude that the consumption of VB had positive effects on the health of the laying hens and improved the quality of the eggs.