Study of the protective potential of means for the prevention of combined mycotoxicosis by assessing the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in rats

Mycotoxins are common contaminants in animal feed. The most common mycotoxins in animal feed include zearalenone, T-2 toxin, deoxynivalenol, aflatoxins, and others. This article examined the molecular mechanism of the combined effects of T-2 toxin, aflatoxin B1, and zearalenone. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a mycotoxin complex on the expression level of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IFN-γ) mRNA in the spleen of white rats and to evaluate the protective potential of the developed complex agents to reduce the induction of inflammatory processes. The experiments were conducted on 80 white rats. To reproduce mycotoxicosis, animals received crystalline mycotoxins with their basal diet for 21 days: aflatoxin B1 - 2.5 mg/kg; T-2 toxin - 5 mg/kg; zearalenone - 2.0 mg/kg of feed. Three formulations of prophylactic complexes with sorption, antioxidant, hepatoprotective and immunomodulatory properties were used as protective agents. Expression of mRNA of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IFNɣ) was determined by quantitative real-time PCR in spleen samples. Gene expression was assessed based on the number of cDNA copies in the studied material, normalizing the indicator relative to the number of DNA copies in the same sample. It was found that associated exposure to mycotoxins causes increased expression of proinflammatory cytokine genes at the mRNA level in the spleen. The developed complexes modulated the production of proinflammatory cytokines. The prophylactic complex based on halloysite, silymarin, β-glucans, and methionine demonstrated the most pronounced immunomodulatory potential. The obtained data indicate that this prophylactic complex is promising and requires further study as a means of preventing mixed mycotoxicosis in food-producing animals.

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