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. 2022 Aug 15;18(1):311.
doi: 10.1186/s12917-022-03392-4.

Deoxynivalenol damages the intestinal barrier and biota of the broiler chickens

Shuangxiu Wan  1   2 , Na Sun  1 , Hongquan Li  1 , Ajab Khan  1 , Xiaozhong Zheng  3 , Yaogui Sun  1 , Ruiwen Fan  4
Affiliations

Deoxynivalenol damages the intestinal barrier and biota of the broiler chickens

Shuangxiu Wan et al. BMC Vet Res. .

Abstract

Background: In the livestock feed industry, feed and feed raw materials are extremely susceptible to mycotoxin contamination. Deoxynivalenol (DON) is one of the main risk factors for mycotoxin contamination in broiler feed and feedstuff, however, there is still little knowledge about this. Hence, the purpose of this study was to explore the toxicity effect of DON on the intestinal barrier and the microecological balance of the biota in broiler chickens.

Results: In our present study, we compared the pathological scores of the small intestines of broilers on the 5th, 7th, and 10th day, and chose the 7th day to analyze the small intestine histomorphology, tight junctions, and cecal biota of the broilers. The results showed the damage to the small intestine worsened over time, the small intestinal villi of broilers were breakage, the tight junctions of the small intestine were destroyed, the cecal biota was unbalanced, and the growth performance of broilers was reduced on the 7th day.

Conclusions: DON could damage the functional and structural completeness of the intestinal tract, disorder the Intestinal biota, and finally lead to declined broiler performance. Our study provided a basis for the prevention and treatment of DON in broiler production.

Keywords: Broiler; Deoxynivalenol; Intestinal biota; Production performance; Tight junction protein.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Morphology analysis of the small intestinal villi of broilers. A The scanning electron microscope of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum in broilers. The Figure showed the pathological changes in the swollen duodenal mucosal surface with less chyme (blue arrow), ulcers and ulcer foci with different sizes in the jejunal surface (cyan arrow), and broken villi in the mucosal surface of the ilium (yellow arrow) of the DON group. Scale bar:50 μm. B H&E staining of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum in broilers. The figure showed the damaged edges of duodenal villi, the loosely arranged outer cells, the increased crypt depth and the irregular ileum villi in the DON group. Vi: villus. Cr: crypt. Scale bar:100 μm
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The effects of DON on the expression of tight junction proteins in the small intestine of broilers. A The mRNA relative expression of ZO-1, Occludin and claudin-1 analysed by qRT-PCR. B The relative expression of Occludin and claudin-1 protein detected by Western Blot. C Immunohistochemistry of the ZO-1, Occludin and Claudin-1. D The immunohistochemistry quantified results were showed as the average optical density. Scale bar:100 μm. The right image was magnified 1000 times, n = 6 per treatment group. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001. EC: Epithelial Cells
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Microecological changes of caecal biota in broilers caused by DON. A The principal component analysis (PCA) of the cecum microbiota, R2 = 0.144, P = 0.031. B, C The diagrams of microbial community composition structure. D The significant difference analysis diagram between the DON group and CON group. n = 6 per treatment group
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