Possible Role of Bovine Serum Albumin for the Prevention of Aflatoxin B₁-Absorption from the Intestinal Tract in Young Chicks

Abstract

The deleterious effect of aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) on the liver after intragastric inoculation and the protective influence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) from AFB₁ damage was biochemically and histologically examined using one-day-old chicks. Three mg/kg weight of AFB₁ was inoculated intragastrically into the chicks, the dosage being based on the results of a preliminary toxicity test that indicated it was the minimum dose for lesion production. The resulting histological changes were confined to the liver and were characterized by bile duct proliferation, vacuolation of hepatic cells in the peripherolobular regions, and necrosis of hepatic cells in the centrilobular regions. In a subsequent experiment, 3 groups of one-day-old chicks were each inoculated with AFB₁ alone, AFB₁+BSA and dimethyl sulfoxide alone (control), respectively. BSA provided protection from AFB₁ as evidenced by the less pronounced changes in the liver of chicks inoculated with AFB₁+BSA and the same quantitative value of plasma isocitrate dehydrogenase released from the liver, maintaining its activity at nearly the same level with the control. Moreover, AFB₁ contents in the plasma and liver were significantly lower in the AFB₁+BSA inoculated chicks than those with AFB₁ alone. AFB₁ in the plasma and liver of both groups receiving AFB₁ attained its maximum level 6 hr after inoculation. This was immediately followed by a rapid decline with both parts having similar final levels. These results indicate that BSA may have AFB₁-binding ability in the intestinal tract of young chicks and may also be excreted with AFB₁.