Dietary Supplementation of Novel Aflatoxin Oxidase CotA Alleviates Aflatoxin B<sub>1</sub>-Induced Oxidative Stress, Lipid Metabolism Disorder, and Apoptosis in the Liver of Japanese Quails
This research explored the role of aflatoxin oxidase CotA in mitigating aflatoxin B<sub>1</sub> (AFB<sub>1</sub>)-induced hepatotoxicity in Japanese quails. A total of 225 female Japanese quails, aged two weeks, were randomly assigned to three dietary groups: a control diet,...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Animals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/11/1555 |
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| Summary: | This research explored the role of aflatoxin oxidase CotA in mitigating aflatoxin B<sub>1</sub> (AFB<sub>1</sub>)-induced hepatotoxicity in Japanese quails. A total of 225 female Japanese quails, aged two weeks, were randomly assigned to three dietary groups: a control diet, an AFB<sub>1</sub>-contaminated diet, and an AFB<sub>1</sub>-contaminated diet supplemented with aflatoxin oxidase CotA for three weeks. The results indicate that quails receiving the AFB<sub>1</sub>-contaminated diet exhibited reduced body weight gain, pronounced vacuolar degeneration within hepatocytes, and inflammatory cell infiltration. Additionally, the AFB<sub>1</sub> group demonstrated an increased liver index and elevated serum liver enzyme activities (ALT, AST, and ALP). Supplementation with CotA improved body weight gain and conferred protection against AFB<sub>1</sub>-induced liver injury. Furthermore, the addition of CotA significantly enhanced liver antioxidant enzyme activities (T-AOC, GST, GSH-Px, POD, and CAT), reduced hepatic H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> and MDA levels, and upregulated the mRNA expression levels of genes in the Nrf2 pathway in quails exposed to AFB<sub>1</sub>. AFB<sub>1</sub> exposure led to lipid droplet accumulation in liver tissues and elevated serum TG and LDL-C levels. However, the introduction of CotA mitigated AFB<sub>1</sub>-induced alterations in lipid metabolism. Furthermore, dietary supplementation with CotA inhibited AFB<sub>1</sub>-induced hepatocyte apoptosis and decreased the mRNA expression of apoptosis-related genes, including Bax, caspase-9, and caspase-3. Notably, the AFB<sub>1</sub>+CotA group exhibited a significant reduction in AFB<sub>1</sub> residues and AFB<sub>1</sub>-DNA adducts in quail liver tissues compared to the AFB<sub>1</sub> group. These findings indicate that aflatoxin oxidase CotA holds promise as a feed additive to alleviate AFB<sub>1</sub>-induced hepatotoxicity. |
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| ISSN: | 2076-2615 |