Protective effects of lycopene in broilers


BY MATTHEW WEDZERAI, FREELANCE CORRESPONDENT M


ycotoxins are feed-derived risk factors that are detrimental to human and animal health. Aflatoxin B1


(AFB1 ) has been identified as a group 1 carcinogen by the WHO. The most critical aspect of aflatoxins in animal production is their


potential residue presence in animal products. The AFB1 metabolism is accompanied by the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to oxidative stress, and the mitochondria are the first to be affected as they are major sites of intracellular ROS production. Furthermore, the AFB1


can be alleviated by


The study recently published in Poultry Science, explains the benefits of lycopene as a promising dietary modulator for aflatoxin B1


broilers. -induced


mitochondrial injury is the potential mechanism underlying its toxic effects. Thus, the toxicity of AFB1


improving mitochondrial function. Lycopene is a natural food- derived pigment belonging to carotenoids used in food processing and mainly enriched in fruits and vegetables with a red colour, such as tomatoes, watermelon, and papaya. Lycopene can be used as a dietary botanical bioactive substance with various bioactivities, including antioxidant capacity and therapeutic potential against diseases.


Determining the benefits of lycopene To determine the protective properties of lycopene against aflatoxin B1


, researchers from Yangzhou University


investigated the positive effects of lycopene on mitochondrial oxidative injury and dysfunction in the liver of aflatoxin B1


-


exposed broilers, elaborating on the mechanism that involves the mitochondrial antioxidant capacity, mitochondrial swelling, hepatic ATP concentration, and gene expression for mitochondrial biogenesis. Besides playing key roles in cellular oxidative stress (or redox balance), mitochondria are mediators of cellular energy metabolism, cell apoptosis, and innate immune responses. Given their vital roles in human health and disease, mitochondria represent an important target for the development of therapeutics. As previous reports indicate the negative effects of aflatoxins on growth performance, the researchers of this study also determined the additive’s effects on growth performance. Their study consisted of three diets: • •


Control diet: no additive, no aflatoxin B1 AFB1 (AFB1


•


diet: basal diet with 100 µg/kg aflatoxin B1 )


AFB1 + LYC: basal diet with 100 µg/kg AFB1 mg/kg lycopene (LYC)


+ 200


Research shows that lycopene, a natural food-derived pigment is protective against aflatoxin B1


in broilers. -induced injury in


Lycopene is a natural food-derived pigment belonging to carotenoids used in food processing and mainly enriched in fruits and vegetables with a red colour, such as tomatoes.


PHOTO: MAXPIXEL


Damaging effects of aflatoxin B1 Liver is considered the target organ for AFB1


because it is the


organ where most aflatoxins are bioactivated to the reactive 8,9-epoxide form, which is known to bind DNA and proteins, damaging the liver structures and increasing liver weight. In the present study, the increased ROS and hydrogen peroxide


▶ FEED SAFETY | APRIL 2022 25


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