Effect of aflatoxin on kidney pathology in broilers

Abstract

Aflatoxin (AFB1) causes toxic effects and leads to organ damage in broilers. This study was conducted to evaluate the pathological effect of aflatoxin B1 on the kidneys of broilers and mitigate its effect by using Saccharomyces yeast cell walls (YCW) extract and nano curcumin (NC) as dietary supplements. A total of 150 one-day-old, unsexed Cobb broiler chicks were allocated into 5 groups. The experimental feeding was designed as follows: Group A: control diet, group B: control diet with 0.25 mg/kg aflatoxin (AFB1), group C: control diet with 0.25 mg/kg AFB1+ YCW 1 kg/ton, group D: control diet with 0.25 mg/kg AFB1+ NC 400 mg/kg, and group E: control diet with 0.25 mg/kg AFB1+ YCW 1 kg/ton + NC 200 mg/kg. Histopathology of the broiler kidneys was shown. Group A showed normal histology, whereas GB showed marked degenerative, necrotic, and desquamative of the renal tubular epithelium, glomerulus, and renal tubule. On the other side, GC, GD, and GE showed normal histology in which the nephron consists of the glomerulus and the renal tubule. The addition of YCW extract and nano curcumin can be an alternative to counteract the negative effect of AFB1 in broiler diets.