The Effects of Aflatoxin B 1 on Liver Cholestasis and Its Nutritional Regulation in Ducks.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ) on cholestasis in duck liver and its nutritional regulation. Three hundred sixty 1-day-old ducks were randomly divided into six groups and fed for 4 weeks. The control group was fed a basic diet, while the experimental group diet contained 90 μg/kg of AFB 1 . Cholestyramine, atorvastatin calcium, taurine, and emodin were added to the diets of four experimental groups. The results show that in the AFB 1 group, the growth properties, total bile acid (TBA) serum levels and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and glutathione (GSH) liver levels decreased, while the malondialdehyde (MDA) and TBA liver levels increased ( p < 0.05). Moreover, AFB 1 caused cholestasis. Cholestyramine, atorvastatin calcium, taurine, and emodin could reduce the TBA serum and liver levels ( p < 0.05), alleviating the symptoms of cholestasis. The qPCR results show that AFB 1 upregulated cytochrome P450 family 7 subfamily A member 1 ( CYP7A1 ) and cytochrome P450 family 8 subfamily B member 1 ( CYP8B1 ) gene expression and downregulated ATP binding cassette subfamily B member 11 ( BSEP ) gene expression in the liver, and taurine and emodin downregulated CYP7A1 and CYP8B1 gene expression ( p < 0.05). In summary, AFB 1 negatively affects health and alters the expression of genes related to liver bile acid metabolism, leading to cholestasis. Cholestyramine, atorvastatin calcium, taurine, and emodin can alleviate AFB 1 -induced cholestasis.