Feeding farm animals with aflatoxin-contaminated feed can cause various severe toxic effects, leading to increased susceptibility to infectious diseases and increased mortality, weight loss, poor performance and reduced reproductive capability. Following ingestion of contaminated foodstuffs, aflatoxins are metabolized and biotransformed differently in animals. Swine metabolism is not effective in detoxifying and excreting aflatoxins, meaning the risk of aflatoxicosis is increased. Thus, it is of great importance to elucidate the metabolism and all metabolic pathways associated with this mycotoxin. The damage induced by AFB1 in cells and tissues consists of inhibition of cell proliferation, carcinogenicity, immunosuppression, mutagenicity, oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation and DNA damage, leading to pathological lesions in the liver, spleen, lymph node, kidney, uterus, heart, and lungs of swine. At present, it is a challenging task and of serious concern to completely remove aflatoxins and their metabolites from feedstuff; thus, the aim of this study was a literature review on the deleterious effects of aflatoxins on swine metabolism, as well as alternatives that contribute to the detoxification or amelioration of aflatoxin-induced effects in farm animal feed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of a byproduct mixture derived from grapeseed and sea buckthorn oil industry to mitigate the harmful damage produced by ochratoxin A and aflatoxin B1 at hepatic and renal level in piglets after weaning. Forty cross-bred TOPIGS-40 hybrid piglets after weaning were assigned to three experimental groups (E1, E2, E3) and one control group (C), and fed with experimental diets for 30 days. The basal diet was served as a control and contained normal compound feed for starter piglets without mycotoxins. The experimental groups were fed as follows: E1—basal diet plus a mixture (1:1) of two byproducts (grapeseed and sea buckthorn meal); E2—the basal diet experimentally contaminated with mycotoxins (479 ppb OTA and 62ppb AFB1); and E3—basal diet containing 5% of the mixture (1:1) of grapeseed and sea buckthorn meal and contaminated with the mix of OTA and AFB1. After 4 weeks, the animals were slaughtered, and tissue samples were taken from liver and kidney in order to perform gene expression and histological analysis. The gene expression analysis showed that when weaned piglets were fed with contaminated diet, the expression of most analyzed genes was downregulated. Among the CYP450 family, CYP1A2 was the gene with the highest downregulation. According to these results, in liver, we found that mycotoxins induced histomorphological alterations in liver and kidney and had an effect on the expression level of CYP1A2, CYP2A19, CYP2E1, and CYP3A29, but we did not detect important changes in the expression level of CY4A24, MRP2 and GSTA1 genes.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness in photodynamic therapy of iron oxide nanoparticles (γ-Fe₂O₃ NPs), synthesized by laser pyrolysis technique, functionalized with 5,10,15,20-(Tetra-4-sulfonatophenyl) porphyrin tetraammonium (TPPS) on human cutaneous melanoma cells, after only 1 min blue light exposure. The efficiency of porphyrin loading on the iron oxide nanocarriers was estimated by using absorption and FTIR spectroscopy. The singlet oxygen yield was determined via transient characteristics of singlet oxygen phosphorescence at 1270 nm both for porphyrin functionalized nanoparticles and rose bengal used as standard. The irradiation was performed with a LED (405 nm, 1 mW/cm²) for 1 min after melanoma cells were treated with TPPS functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles (γ-Fe₂O₃ NPs_TPPS) and incubated for 24 h. Biological tests revealed a high anticancer effect of γ-Fe₂O₃ NPs_TPPS complexes indi-cated by the inhibition of tumor cell proliferation, reduction of cell adhesion, and induction of cell death through ROS generated by TPPS under light exposure. The biological assays were combined with the pharmacokinetic prediction of the porphyrin.

Background/Objectives: Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) produce several diverse metabolites during fermentation that play key roles in enhancing health and food quality. These metabolites include peptides, organic acids, exopolysaccharides, and antimicrobial compounds, which contribute to gut health, immune system modulation, and pathogen inhibition. This study analyzed the intracellular (Met-Int) and extracellular metabolites (Met-Ext-CFS; cell-free supernatant) of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum UTNGt2, a probiotic strain isolated from Theobroma grandiflorum. Methods: The assessment was performed using capillary LC-MS/MS metabolomics with a SWATH-based data-independent acquisition approach to identify molecules associated with antimicrobial activity. Results: The integration of metabolomic data with whole-genome annotation enabled the identification of several key metabolites, including amino acids, nucleotides, organic acids, oligopeptides, terpenes, and flavonoids, many of which were associated with the antimicrobial activity of UTNGt2. Pathway analysis reveals critical processes such as secondary metabolite biosynthesis, nucleotide and galactose metabolism, and cofactor biosynthesis. By integrating RiPP (ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide) cluster gene predictions with LC-MS data, this study validates the production of specific RiPPs and uncovers novel bioactive compounds encoded within the UTNGt2 genome. The oligopeptide val-leu-pro-val-pro-gln found in both Met-Int (ESI+) and Met-Ext-CFS (ESI+) may contribute to the strain’s antimicrobial strength. It could also enhance probiotic and fermentation-related functions. Conclusions: While genome-based predictions highlight the strain’s biosynthetic potential, the actual metabolite profile is influenced by factors like transcriptional regulation, post-transcriptional and post-translational modifications, and environmental conditions. These findings emphasize the value of multi-omics approaches in providing a holistic understanding of metabolite production and its role in antimicrobial activity.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of dietary inclusion of two additives at the final concentration of 0.5% bilberry (E1) and 1% walnut (E2) leaves powder in the basal diet on digestive health of hens. A total number of 90 Tetra SL hens were divided into two experimental groups (E1 and E2) and one control group (C) consisting of 30 hens each. After four weeks, 10 hens of each group were sacrificed and tissue samples and intestinal content were taken from the duodenum, jejunum, and cecum in order to perform histological, enzymatic, and microbiota analyses. In groups E1 and E2, the histological analysis showed a significant increase of villus height, resulting probably in increased absorption of nutrients in duodenum and jejunum. A decrease in the specific activity of alpha-amylase and trypsin in E1 and E2 for both duodenum and jejunum compared to the control one was also recorded. In addition, the maltase and invertase specific activity in duodenum increased, a tendency that was kept for maltase but not for invertase in jejunum. The cecal microbiota of E1 and E2 individuals was characterized by an increase of Firmicutes and Lactobacilli and a decrease of Enterobacteriaceae. In conclusion, our results indicate that bilberry and walnut leaves additives in feed may improve the health status of the poultry gastrointestinal tract.

The use of natural feed additives could be a beneficial approach to maintaining the health of chickens and a way to improve food digestion. Flaxseed is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acid, alpha linolenic acid, oleic acid, and fiber. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary inclusion of 4% flaxseed on the intestinal morphology, specific enzymatic activity, and cecal microbiome in broiler chickens. The 4-week feeding trial was conducted on 100 Cobb 500 (14 days of age) unsexed broiler chickens divided into two groups: a control group (C) and an experimental group (E). The broilers were housed in boxes of size 3 m² (each group was housed in a single box with 10 replicates, 5 chickens per replicate) and reared on permanent wood shaves litter (10–12 cm thick). At the end of the experiment, chickens (n = 10) were sacrificed and tissue samples were harvested from the duodenum, jejunum, and cecum for histological, enzymatic, and microbiome analyses. In group E, histological analysis revealed a significant increase in villus height (p < 0.001) possibly leading to enhanced intestinal nutrient absorption. An increase in the specific activities of α-amylase (p < 0.05), invertase (p < 0.01), and endo-β-1,4-glucanase (p < 0.001) was noticed in the E group for the duodenum and jejunum compared to the control group. In contrast, maltase activity decreased in the duodenum and increased in the jejunum in the E group. The trypsin and lipase specific activities did not vary in a significant way. In addition, the cecal microbiome of the E group was characterized by an increase in Lactobacilli (p < 0.01) and Clostridium coccoides and a decrease in Bacteroides, Ruminoccocus, Enterobacteriaceae, and Clostridium leptum. In conclusion, our results suggest that dietary supplementation of flaxseed meal may boost intestinal health status in poultry.