1365
Antioxidant activity of intestinal mucosa in piglets fed deoxynivalenol naturally contaminated diet
Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a mycotoxin commonly detected in cereals and grains, and is the most prevalent contaminating trichothecene in North American crops. In young piglets, the main effects of DON are reduced feed intake and weight gain, impaired immune response and enhanced oxidative stress. The influence of DON-contaminated feed on the antioxidant status of the intestinal mucosa in weaned piglets is not well known. Therefore the aim of this study was to evaluate the activity of antioxidant enzymes and markers associated with oxidative stress in jejunal and ileal mucosa of piglets fed DON naturally contaminated diet. A total of 24 castrated weanling piglets with an initial weight of 6.0 ± 0.5 kg were used for a 14-day experimental period. After one week post-weaning on a commercial diet, piglets were randomly assigned to either control diet or 4 ppm DON diet and housed individually. Samples of jejunum and ileum mucosa were collected at the end of the experiment to determine the total activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and xanthine oxidase (XO) as well as malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Data were analyzed using the SAS MIXED procedure in a randomized complete block design (initial body weight) with DON contamination as main independent factor. DON-contaminated diet decreased catalase activity (3.69 vs 3.03 µmol/min/g, P=0.045) and tended to increase MDA concentration in jejunal mucosa (7.09 vs 9.86 nmol/g, P=0.087). Also it decreased total SOD activity (48.1 vs 35.9 µU/g, P=0.021), but increased the total GPx activity (2.49 vs 2.95 µmol/min/g, P=0.035) in ileal mucosa. Activity of XO and TAC were not affected by DON-contaminated diet neither in jejunal nor in ileal mucosa. These results showed that DON affect intestinal enzyme activities involved in the oxidative stress reaction, which can affect the function and the integrity of the intestinal mucosa.
Keywords: piglet, deoxynivalenol, antioxidants