Determination of serum aflatoxin B-lysine to evaluate the efficacy of an aflatoxin-adsorbing feed additive in pigs fed an aflatoxin B-contaminated diet.

In this study, serum aflatoxin B (AFB)-lysine was determined in order to evaluate the in vivo efficacy of a hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (HSCAS) in pigs fed AFB. Twenty-four 49-day-old crossbred barrows were maintained in individual cages and allowed ad libitum access to feed and water. A completely randomized design was used with six animals assigned to each of four dietary treatments for 21 days as follows: (A) basal diet (BD), (B) BD supplemented with 0.5 % HSCAS, (C) BD supplemented with 1.1 mg/kg AFB, and (D) BD supplemented with 0.5 % HSCAS and 1.1 mg/kg AFB. HSCAS was able to alleviate the toxic effects of AFB on pigs and reduce (P < 0.05) the levels of serum AFB-lysine. Cumulative reductions of adduct yield values, calculated through the equation [(pg AFB-lysine/mg albumin) / (μg AFB/kg body weight)], were 53.0, 62.8, and 72.1 after 7, 14, and 21 days of oral exposure, respectively. AFB-lysine has potential as an AFB-specific biomarker for diagnostic purposes and for evaluating the efficacy of chemoprotective interventions in pigs.