Protective effects of a multicomponent toxin binder and organic acid blend on feed efficiency, oxidative status, hepatic histology, and jejunal immune-antioxidant responses in broilers co-challenged with aflatoxin Band Clostridium perfringens.

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of a multicomponent toxin binder (MTB) and an organic acid blend (OAB) on performance, immunity, oxidative status, liver histology, and jejunal inflammatory/antioxidant gene expression in broilers challenged with aflatoxin B(AFB) and Clostridium perfringens. A total of 420 Ross 308 broilers were assigned to seven groups (6 replicates &#xd7; 10 birds): Control (unchallenged), A (AFB), AM (AFB+ MTB), AMO (AFB+ MTB + OAB), AC (AFB+ C. perfringens), ACM (AFB+ C. perfringens + MTB), and ACMO (AFB+ C. perfringens + MTB+OAB). AFB(500 ppb) was provided throughout days 0-42; C. perfringens (1 &#xd7; 10&#x2078; CFU/mL) was administered on days 15-24. AFBalone, and more markedly the AFB+C. perfringens co-challenge, reduced body-weight gain and feed efficiency, increased hepatic superoxide dismutase activity and malondialdehyde level, enlarged central-vein diameter, upregulated jejunal NF-&#x3ba;B1, TNF-&#x3b1;, and IL-6, and downregulated hepatic total antioxidant capacity and jejunal NRF2 and SOD1 mRNA expression (P < 0.05). The co-challenge also lowered Newcastle disease antibody titers, reduced phytohemagglutinin-induced toe-web swelling, and increased the heterophil:lymphocyte ratio (P < 0.05). Although MTB attenuated several AFB-related impairments, MTB+OAB provided superior protection under co-challenge, increasing hepatic total antioxidant capacity, lowering malondialdehyde, improving liver histoarchitecture (central-vein diameter), and normalizing the expression of immune and antioxidant genes toward control levels, alongside improvements in performance indices (P < 0.05). In conclusion, although co-exposure to AFBand C. perfringens caused greater detriments than AFBalone, adding OAB to MTB improved performance, oxidative, histological, and immunological outcomes, supporting MTB+OAB as a practical strategy for broilers under concurrent mycotoxin-enteric challenge.