Zearalenone-induced hepatointestinal toxicity in laying hens: unveiling the role of gut microbiota and fecal metabolites.

ABSTRACT: Zearalenone (ZEN), a mycotoxin produced by Fusarium species, is known for its reproductive toxicity as an estrogen analogue. However, there are limited knowledge about its hepatointestinal toxicity, as well as the role that gut microbiota and metabolites play in this process. In this study, a total of 24 thirty-week-old hens were fed to investigate the hepatointestinal toxicity subjected to long-term ZEN consumption at 2.0 mg/kg for 90 d. And we employed uncultured 16S rRNA sequencing for gut microbiota and untargeted metabolomics for fecal metabolites assessment. Notably, ZEN induced significant hepatic damage, as evidenced by hepatocyte necrosis, inflammatory cell infiltrate, increased liver lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and blood aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels (P < 0.05). The decrea

SUBMITTER: Wang L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11406091 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature