Protective effect of curcumin and selenium against AFB1 toxicity

Aflatoxins constitute a family of secondary metabolites produced mainly by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Aflatoxins are known to affect important foods, including oilseeds and cereals.

Aflatoxins comprise aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2, M1 and M2 in which AFB1 shows increased toxicity in  addition to causing immunosuppression, carcinogenicity, teratogenicity and mutagenicity (Bhat et al., 2010).

The secretion of aflatoxin AFB1 depends on abiotic factors such as:

• humidity
• temperature
• oxidative stress
• storage, etc. (Astoreca et al. , 2014).

In chickens, aflatoxicosis is usually characterized by weakness, decreased weight gain lower feed efficiency and egg production. Also including more severe symptoms involving hemorrhagic liver and death (Dalvi et al. , 1986).

• In poultry, the immune system is severely affcted by AFB1, resulting in reduced subsets of the T-cell population (Jian et al. , 2015)

Feed contaminated with AFB1 in pigs creates symptoms similar to those of poultry. These involve reduced feed intake, impaired liver and immune functions, as well as altered serum biochemical parameters (Devreese et al., 2013).

Pierron et al. (2016) found that dietary exposure to AFB1 in pigs resulted in altered lymphocyte activation, a negative influence on vaccine efficacy, and a delayed cell-mediated immune response.

Dairy cattle are relatively more resistant to mycotoxins including aflatoxins due to the ability of rumen microflora to biotransform toxins into less toxic metabolites upon ingestion (Fink-Gremmels et al., 2013).

     However, AFB1 can directly affect the metabolism of rumen microflora and consequently hinder rumen digestion (Gallo et al. , 2015).

• Several disorders in livestock associated with aflatoxicosis have been reported including the birth of small calves, diarrhea, mastitis, respiratory problems, rectal prolapse, etc. (Applebaum et al., 1982)

The toxicity of AFB1 in dairy cows has a double importance, since it affects the anima’s performance and leads to milk contamination  being of great concern for human food.

Prevention of aflatoxicosis with the use of dietary supplements

Source: Abstract taken from “Protective and Detoxifying Effects Conferred by
Dietary Selenium and Curcumin against
AFB1-Mediated Toxicity in Livestock: A Review” Aniket Limaye et al., Toxins 2018, 10, 25;