Evaluation of berberine efficacy in reducing the effects of aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A added to male broiler rations

Many types of mycotoxins are found in food sources contaminated with fungi, and if these are ingested in large quantities or over a long period, they can affect the health of humans and domestic animals. Berberine (BBR) is a plant alkaloid with multiple pharmacological functions. This study aimed to investigate the effect of different levels of the plant alkaloid BBR on reducing toxic effects of aflatoxin B1 (AFB) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in broilers by examining performance characteristics, blood biochemistry, antioxidant systems, ileum morphology, and histopathology of the liver. The experiment was performed with 288 Ross 308 broilers reared in floor pens for 42 d in a randomized design with 9 treatments. Each treatment was replicated 4 times, and each replicate contained 8 chicks. Experimental treatments included (1) negative control diet with no additives (NC); (2) NC + 2 ppm AFB (positive control AFB; PCAFB); (3) NC + 2 ppm OTA (positive control OTA; PCOTA); (4) PCAFB + 200 mg/kg BBR; (5) PCAFB + 400 mg/kg BBR; (6) PCAFB + 600 mg/kg BBR; (7) PCOTA + 200 mg/kg BBR; (8) PCOTA + 400 mg/kg BBR; and (9) PCOTA + 600 mg/kg BBR. Compared with NC, feeding PCAFB and PCOTA diets reduced average daily feed intake, weight gain, serum concentrations of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and the length and width of ileum villi (P < 0.05). At the same time, these parameters increased in birds fed PCAFB or PCOTA diets supplemented with 600 mg/kg of BBR (P < 0.05). Feeding PCAFB and PCOTA diets increased feed conversion ratio (FCR), serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) activities, serum urea, and liver lesions compared with NC. By contrast, compared with PCAFB and PCOTA, adding 600 mg/kg BBR decreased FCR, AST, LDH, ALT, and GGT activities, urea, and liver lesions (P < 0.05). Overall, supplementation with 600 mg/kg BBR may improve growth performance, liver function, and antioxidant status of broilers fed diets contaminated with AFB and OTA.