EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF SOME ANTIOXIDANTS FOR CONTROLLING AFLATOXICOSIS IN BROILER CHICKENS

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the ability of antioxidants (curcumin and lipoic acid) to ameliorate the hazardous effects of aflatoxins in broiler chickens in terms of performance, liver and kidney functions, and histopathological structures as well as compare them with the effect of a mycotoxin adsorbent (Agrimos®), a specific combination of mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS) and ß-glucans extracted from the yeast cell walls of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A total of 120 broilers were used and divided into 5 equal groups (n=24), each group subdivided into 2 replicates (12 birds/replicate). control negative (G1) received the basal diet, control positive (G2) basal diet+ 100µg AFB1/kg diet; Curcumin treated group (G3) received control Positive + 1 g Curcumin /kg diet; Lipoic acid treated group (G4) received control Positive + 300 mg Lipoic acid /kg diet; Agrimos treated group (G5) received control Positive + 1 g Agrimos /kg diet. All treatments were administered from 1-30 days of age. By the end of the experiment, antioxidants (curcumin and lipoic acid) ameliorated the harmful effects of aflatoxin on performance, histopathology of target organs and serum biochemical parameters in broilers as the same degree of improvement induced by Agrimos® (mycotoxin binders).