Efficacy of Mycotoxin Detoxifiers on Health and Growth of Newly-Weaned Pigs under Chronic Dietary Challenge of Deoxynivalenol

Abstract

The efficacy of yeast-based mycotoxin detoxifiers on health and growth performance of newly-weaned pigs (27-d-old) fed diets naturally contaminated with deoxynivalenol was investigated. Sixty pigs were individually assigned to five treatments for 34 d: NC (negative control, 1.2 mg/kg of deoxynivalenol); PC (positive control, 3.2 mg/kg of deoxynivalenol); CYC (PC + clay/yeast culture-based product, 0.2%); CYE (PC + clay/yeast cell wall/plant extracts/antioxidants-based product, 0.2%); and CYB (PC + clay/inactivated yeast/botanicals/antioxidants-based product, 0.2%). Blood and jejunal mucosa were sampled, and data were analyzed using Proc Mixed of SAS with pre-planned contrasts. Deoxynivalenol reduced the average daily gain (ADG) in phase 3. Pigs fed CYC had greater overall ADG, average daily feed intake during phase 3, and gain to feed ratio during phase 2 than PC. At d 14, deoxynivalenol reduced blood urea nitrogen/creatinine and tended to reduce blood urea nitrogen. Pigs fed CYB tended to have greater aspartate aminotransferase than PC. At d 34, pigs fed CYC and CYB tended to have lower serum creatine phosphokinase than PC. Pigs fed CYE had lower blood urea nitrogen/creatinine than PC. In jejunal mucosa, deoxynivalenol tended to increase malondialdehydes and decrease glutathione. Pigs fed CYE and CYB had lower malondialdehydes, pigs fed CYB had greater glutathione and tended to have lower immunoglobulin A than PC. Pigs fed CYC and CYE tended to have lower interleukin 8 than PC. In summary, deoxynivalenol challenge (1.2 vs. 3.2 mg/kg) mildly compromised growth performance and increased the oxidative stress of pigs. Mycotoxin detoxifiers could partially overcome deoxynivalenol toxicity enhancing liver health, whereas CYE and CYB reduced oxidative stress, and CYC and CYB reduced immune activation. In conclusion, yeast-based detoxifiers with functional components as clay/inactivated yeast/botanicals/antioxidants had increased detoxifying properties in newly-weaned pigs challenged with deoxynivalenol, potentially by enhancing adsorbability, immune function, gut health, and reducing oxidative stress.

Keywords: deoxynivalenol; health; yeast.

Figure 1

Body weight in newly-weaned pigs consuming diets with (PC, positive control diet with 3.2 mg/kg of deoxynivalenol) or without deoxynivalenol (NC, negative control diet with 1.2 mg/kg of deoxynivalenol) and diets with deoxynivalenol and mycotoxin detoxifiers at 0.2%: CYC (PC + clay/yeast culture-based product); CYE (PC + clay/yeast cell wall/plant extracts/antioxidants-based product); and CYB (PC + clay/inactivated yeast/botanicals/antioxidants-based product).

Figure 2

Fecal score in newly-weaned pigs consuming diets with (PC, positive control diet with 3.2 mg/kg of deoxynivalenol) or without deoxynivalenol (NC, negative control diet with 1.2 mg/kg of deoxynivalenol) and diets with deoxynivalenol and mycotoxin detoxifiers at 0.2%: CYC (PC + clay/yeast culture-based product); CYE (PC + clay/yeast cell wall/plant extracts/antioxidants-based product); and CYB (PC + clay/inactivated yeast/botanicals/antioxidants-based product). The fecal score was subjectively measured by a single evaluator based in a 1 to 5 scale, as described by Hu et al. [27].

Figure 3

Intestinal morphology (top and bottom left graphs) and proportion of proliferative cells (bottom right) in the mid-jejunum sections of newly-weaned pigs consuming diets with (PC, positive control diet with 3.2 mg/kg of deoxynivalenol) or without deoxynivalenol (NC, negative control diet with 1.2 mg/kg of deoxynivalenol) and diets with deoxynivalenol and mycotoxin detoxifiers at 0.2%: CYC (PC + clay/yeast culture-based product); CYE (PC + clay/yeast cell wall/plant extracts/antioxidants-based product); and CYB (PC + clay/inactivated yeast/botanicals/antioxidants-based product) on d 34.

Figure 4

Ten microscopical images (40×) of a well-oriented villus and its associated crypt (A) were obtained for measuring villus height (double arrow line in blue), villus width (double arrow line in green), and crypt depth (double arrow line in red). This was followed by cropping the crypt (B) and assessing the nuclei of cells positive to Ki-67 staining (delimited in red, C) in proportion to total cell number (sum of nuclei delimited in blue and red). (C) was obtained using ImageJS tool [76].