Effects of DON and antidote on pro-inflammatory mRNA expression of broiler

Deoxynivalenol (DON; vomitoxin) is a trichothecene mycotoxin that is produced by Fusarium graminearum and is prevalently found in grains such as wheat, corn, barley and their by-products. DON mainly affects the health of monogastric animals, particularly pigs and poultry, through contaminated feedstuffs.

Fifty-four one-day-old broilers (Ross 308) were randomly allocated to three different treatment groups (n = 18 per group):

We found that DON significantly increased COX-2 mRNA expression in the spleen and bursa compared with the control group, whereas the antidote supplement efficiently reversed the effects on COX-2 mRNA expression (Figure 1a and 2a). Although a slight increase in iNOS and IL-1β mRNA expression was observed in the DON-treated group, no statistically significant difference between the control group and the DON-treated group was found in the spleen and bursa (Figure 1b,1c and 2b, 2c).

In this study, the expression of pro-inflammatory gene, COX-2, was induced in the spleen and bursa of Fabricius of DON-fed broilers. This effect was alleviated in the presence of mycotoxin degradation agent.