Protective Effect of Dietary Supplementation with Licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis) Extract on Liver Damage of Broilers (Gallus gallus domesticus) Caused by Long-term Intake of Low-dose ZEN and DON
MIAO Jian1, LI Jia-Wei1, LI Xi-Mei1, CHEN Yan1, JIANG Su-Su1,2, ZHAXI Ying-Pai1, ZHANG Guo-Hua1*, LU Jian-Xiong1*
1 School of Life Sciences and Engineering, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou 730124, China; 2 Gansu Agriculture Vocational and Technical College, Lanzhou 730030, China
Abstract：Feed mold is prevalent, with zearalenone (ZEN) and deoxynivalenol (DON) being the most common mycotoxins found in cereal feed contamination. This study aimed to investigate potential health risks to broilers from the long-term consumption of low doses of ZEN and DON-contaminated diet, as well as the protective effect of licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis) extract. A total of 315 one-day-old male Liangfeng broilers were randomly assigned to 3 groups with 7 replicates per group and 15 broilers per replicate. They were fed a basal diet (CON group), a diet contaminated with mycotoxins ZEN and DON (MYC group; with 5% natural moldy corn (Zea mays) replacing an equal amount of normal corn in the basal diet), and the contaminated diet supplemented with 0.1% Licorice extract (LIC group), respectively. The experiment lasted for 84 d. The results of slaughter experiments and HE staining of liver paraffin sections showed that the liver index of broilers at 28 and 56 d of age in the MYC group was significantly increased (P<0.05), with hepatocytes exhibiting edema, ballooning deformity and some apoptosis. The real-time fluorescence PCR detection revealed that the expression of inflammatory-related genes in liver of MYC group broiler, such as myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MYD88), interleukin 12α (IL-12α),nuclear factor kappa-B1 (NF-kB1), and FOS protooncogene (c-FOS), as well as apoptosis-related genes such as tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF-α), NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2), were significantly increased (P<0.05), In contrast, the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) was significantly reduced (P<0.05). After adding licorice extract to the diet, the liver index decreased (P<0.05), the liver tissue morphology was normal, the expression of inflammation and apoptosis related genes significantly decreased (P<0.05), and the expression of HO-1 increased (P<0.05). The content of serum pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-2, interferon (IFN-γ), and TNF-α in the MYC group significantly increased, while the content of immune factors IgA and IgG significantly decreased (P<0.05). After adding licorice extract, the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines significantly decreased, while the level of immune factors increased (P<0.05). The serum and liver antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities were significantly reduced, malondialdehyde (MDA) content was significantly increased (P<0.05), and the expression of GSH-Px and SOD1 genes in the liver was significantly reduced (P<0.05) in broiler chickens of MYC group. After adding licorice extract, the liver antioxidant enzyme activity and its coding gene expression, and serum GSH-Px activity were significantly increased (P<0.05), and the MDA content in the serum of 28 d old broilers and in the liver of 56 and 84 d old broilers significantly decreased (P<0.05). In summary, long-term intake of low-dose ZEN and DON-contaminated diet could impair the antioxidant and immune functions of broilers, induce inflammatory responses and hepatocyte apoptosis, and the addition of licorice extract to the diet could effectively alleviate these effects. The results provide a basis for utilizing medicinal plants and their extracts to prevent and manage the damage caused by long-term low-dose mycotoxin contamination in broiler production.
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