Purified Dietary Aflatoxin B₁ Does Not Impair Broiler Growth Across a Broad Exposure Range but Elicits Subclinical Biological and Tissue Responses.
- 1State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
- 2Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Feed Safety and Biological Efficacy, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Abstract
Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) toxicity in poultry is often investigated using naturally contaminated ingredients, which can confound its effects with co-occurring mycotoxins and changes in feed quality. Male Arbor Acres broilers received a common basal diet supplemented with purified AFB₁ at nominal concentrations of 0, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, or 200 μg/kg for 42 d. The reported analyses detected no significant treatment differences in growth performance or major organ indices. Hepatic antioxidant enzyme activities and total antioxidant capacity decreased at selected exposures, while serum antioxidant enzymes, cytokines, and hematological indices showed selective responses. Jejunal villus height was lower in the nominal 50-200 μg/kg groups. Renal tubular lesions were most evident at 50-100 μg/kg. Bile-acid profiling in four selected groups showed compartment-specific differences. These findings suggest that selected biological and morphological responses may occur without detectable growth impairment under the conditions tested. Isolated biomarker differences remain exploratory, and the data do not establish a formal ranking of endpoint sensitivity or a dietary safety threshold.
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BibTeX
@article{duan2026purified,
title = {{Purified Dietary Aflatoxin B₁ Does Not Impair Broiler Growth Across a Broad Exposure Range but Elicits Subclinical Biological and Tissue Responses.}},
author = {Qiaomin Duan and Wanjun Zhang and Ying Liu and Sunlin Luo and Wenjun He and Wenjun Yang and Yiqiang Chen},
journal = {Toxins},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/toxins18100414},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42931505},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Purified Dietary Aflatoxin B₁ Does Not Impair Broiler Growth Across a Broad Exposure Range but Elicits Subclinical Biological and Tissue Responses.
AU - Qiaomin Duan
AU - Wanjun Zhang
AU - Ying Liu
AU - Sunlin Luo
AU - Wenjun He
AU - Wenjun Yang
AU - Yiqiang Chen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/27
JO - Toxins
DO - 10.3390/toxins18100414
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42931505
AB - Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) toxicity in poultry is often investigated using naturally contaminated ingredients, which can confound its effects with co-occurring mycotoxins and changes in feed quality. Male Arbor Acres broilers received a common basal diet supplemented with purified AFB₁ at nominal concentrations of 0, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, or 200 μg/kg for 42 d. The reported analyses detected no significant treatment differences in growth performance or major organ indices. Hepatic antioxidant enzyme activities and total antioxidant capacity decreased at selected exposures, while serum antioxidant enzymes, cytokines, and hematological indices showed selective responses. Jejunal villus height was lower in the nominal 50-200 μg/kg groups. Renal tubular lesions were most evident at 50-100 μg/kg. Bile-acid profiling in four selected groups showed compartment-specific differences. These findings suggest that selected biological and morphological responses may occur without detectable growth impairment under the conditions tested. Isolated biomarker differences remain exploratory, and the data do not establish a formal ranking of endpoint sensitivity or a dietary safety threshold.
SN - 2072-6651
ER -