Interactions of aflatoxin and the antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene in two-week-old chicks.
Two-week dietary administration of 2500 ppb aflatoxin was sufficient to cause a decrease in bursal weights and a reduction in the number of splenic leukocytes in chicks. No significant effects on weight gain or feed efficiency were evident. The chicks also had elevated heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratios, suggesting a heightened reaction to stress. This effect could be blocked by dietary administration of the antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) at a concentration eight-fold over that normally present to preserve control feed. The BHT treatment increased the activities of the enzymes glutathione-S-transferase, aniline hydroxylase and O-demethylase, which metabolize aflatoxins in the liver.
Ehrich
M
M
Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg 24061.
Acha
M
M
Larsen
C
C
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000348:Aflatoxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D000815:Aniline Hydroxylase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002060:Bursa of Fabricius / Q000187:drug effects; D002084:Butylated Hydroxytoluene / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010090:Oxidoreductases, O-Demethylating / Q000378:metabolism; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects
D000348:Aflatoxins; D002084:Butylated Hydroxytoluene; D010090:Oxidoreductases, O-Demethylating; D000815:Aniline Hydroxylase; D005982:Glutathione Transferase