Some Acute Biochemical and Pathological Changes in Chicks after Oral Administration of Sterigmatocystin

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to determine LD50 in chicks and the effects of a single oral dose of sterigmatocystin (stg) on body and organ weights, the concentration of different blood constituents, and the histology of certain organs. The LD50 as determined in experiment 1 was 41 mg/kg bodyweight for chicks weighing 93 g. All deaths occurred within 18 to 35 hours after stg administration. The body and organ weights in the surviving chicks were depressed 5 days after the administration of stg. Concentrations of serum total protein, albumin, creatine kinase, and potassium were also depressed in the 4 mg stg-treated chicks. In experiment 2, treated (4 mg stg/chick) as compared to control chicks had altered serum concentrations or activities of the following constituents: aspartate aminotransferase, 306%; alanine aminotransferase, 963%; lactate dehydrogenase, 283%; amylase, 115%; lipase, 300%; γ-glutamyltransferase,-10%; total proteins,-25%; albumin,-27%; potassium,-10%; magnesium,-12%; calcium,-2%; phosphorus,-39%; chloride, 6%; triglycerides,-51%; uric acid,-1%; conjugated bilirubin, 460%; total WBC,-13%; circulating monomorphonuclear leukocytes,-25%, and granulocytes, 42%. Histopathologic examination revealed mild to severe degenerative changes in the liver, pancreas, kidney, and lymphoid tissue, namely, the bursa of Fabricius. Overall, the results would suggest that stg has a pronounced effect on the liver, kidneys, pancreas, lymphoid tissue, and probably certain sections of the gastrointestinal tract and that these effects persist in the liver and the kidneys over a 5-day period.