Evaluation of Two Antimycotoxin Agents to Decrease the Bioavailability of Zearalenone in Diets for Gilts

Zearalenone (ZEA) is a mycotoxin with estrogenic effects, swine being the most sensitive animals, particularly gilts which develop vulvovaginitis and enlargement of mammary glands and the reproductive tract. The objective of this study was to evaluate the toxic effects in gilts that result after consuming 500 µg/kg of ZEA, and the ability of two commercial antimycotoxin agents to reduce the bioavailability of this toxin during a period of 35 days. The product (OA) is an organoaluminosilicate and the product (YA) is prepared based on yeast and algae.

32 recently weaned gilts were selected, and distributed in 4 treatments with 4 repetitions of 2 gilts. The first 7 days were for adaptation. After the 7 days each animal was assigned one of the four experimental diets, which were identified as follows: 1) control diet, with no ZEA or adsorbents 2) intoxication diet with ZEA 500 ppb, 3) challenge diet with 500 ppb of ZEA and 1.5 kg/t of OA, 4) challenge diet with 500 ppb of ZEA + 1.5 kg/t of YA.

Urine samples were collected at days 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 of the experiment to measure the concentration of ZEA and its metabolites by UHPLC. Before sacrifice, Blood samples from all gilts were collected to obtain serum and perform hepatic profiles, and then they were sacrificed. Samples were collected for histopathological assays. The obtained information was analyzed through the statistical software SYSTAT, by Tukey test where the difference of means was defined. The significance value was based on a p< 0.05.

Significant statistical differences were found in the weight, and length of the reproductive tract, width of the cervix and vulva volume. In group 3 (OA + ZEA) the effects of the toxin were reduced up to 46%, with respect to the percentage of the reproductive tract weight; but not in group 4 (YA + ZEA), in which more severe effects with respect to the positive control group were observed (ZEA). The histopathological assays confirmed these effects.

Quantification of metabolites in the urine showed significant statistical differences between the 4 groups, the highest concentration was detected in group 4 (YA + ZEA).

It may be concluded that the OA product reduces the bioavailability of this toxin because there is a combination in the gastrointestinal tract with a determined quantity of ZEA, while the group with the product based on algae, yeasts etc, did not show the capacity to reduce the bioavailability of this mycotoxin, on the contrary, it improves the adsorption of the toxin in the animal, increasing the ZEA effects.

Disclosure of Interest: None Declared.