Effects of Dietary Deoxynivalenol and Zearalenone on the Organ Pro-Inflammatory Gene Expressions and Serum Immunoglobulins of Pigs

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of dietary deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZON) on pro-inflammatory genes in various pig organs and serum immunoglobulins of pigs. Fourteen 6-week-old pigs were randomly allocated to 3 dietary treatments in a completely randomized design with 4 or 5 replicates. Three experimental diets consisted of a corn-soybean meal-based control diet (4 animals), a diet containing DON at 8 mg/kg (5 animals), and a diet containing ZON at 0.8 mg/kg (5 animals). During a 4-week feeding period, the experimental animals had free access to feed and water. At the end of the feeding period, all pigs were slaughtered to collect the muscle, liver and kidney samples that were analyzed for mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory genes including IL-6, IL-10, IL-12β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interferon-gamma and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 using quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR. Serum IgA, IgG and IgM concentrations were also measured using ELISA method. Dietary DON did not affect the gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the organs. However, dietary ZON resulted in mRNA down-regulations (P < 0.05) of IL-10, IL-12β, and TNF in the liver compared with the control group. Serum IgG and IgM of pigs fed the DON- or ZON-containing diet were less (P < 0.05) than those fed the control diet. However, serum IgA concentrations were unaffected by dietary mycotoxins. These results suggest that ZON could worsen organ inflammation particularly in the liver, and also provide a better understanding of the possible effects of either DON or ZON on the immunological defense mechanisms in the pig.