Aflatoxin B 1 Exposure in Sheep: Insights into Hepatotoxicity Based on Oxidative Stress, Inflammatory Injury, Apoptosis, and Gut Microbiota Analysis.

The widespread fungal toxin Aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ) is an inevitable pollutant affecting the health of humans, poultry, and livestock. Although studies indicate that AFB 1 is hepatotoxic, there are few studies on AFB 1 -induced hepatotoxicity in sheep. Thus, this study examined how AFB 1 affected sheep liver function 24 h after the animals received 1 mg/kg bw of AFB 1 orally (dissolved in 20 mL, 4% v / v ethanol). The acute AFB 1 poisoning caused histopathological injuries to the liver and increased total bilirubin (TBIL) and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) levels. AFB 1 also markedly elevated the levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 while considerably reducing the expression of antioxidation-related genes ( SOD-1 and SOD-2 ) and the anti-inflammatory gene IL-10 in the liver. Additionally, it caused apoptosis by dramatically altering the expression of genes associated with apoptosis including Bax , Caspase-3 , and Bcl-2 / Bax . Notably, AFB 1 exposure altered the gut microbiota composition, mainly manifested by BF311 spp. and Alistipes spp. abundance, which are associated with liver injury. In conclusion, AFB 1 can cause liver injury and liver dysfunction in sheep via oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and gut-microbiota disturbance.