Protective Effect of Lipoic Acid on Oxidative Stress and Tissue Damage Induced by Aflatoxin B in Young Laying Hens.

The aim of this study is to investigate the alleviating effect of lipoic acid on oxidative stress and tissue damage induced by aflatoxin B (AFB) in young laying hens. The experiment was divided into a control group, an AFB group, and three lipoic acid treatment groups. The AFB group and three lipoic acid treatment groups were given diets supplemented with 90 μg/kg of AFB. The additional amounts of lipoic acid were 20, 100, and 500 mg/kg, respectively, with a feeding period of 4 weeks. The experimental results showed that AFB significantly increased the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the serum and significantly decreased the levels of total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and catalase (CAT) ( < 0.05). In addition, AFB damaged the structure of the liver, spleen, and ovarian tissues. Lipoic acid reduced the levels of ALT, AST, ALP, and MDA in the serum and increased the levels of TP, ALB, T-SOD, GSH-Px, and CAT ( < 0.05). Meanwhile, lipoic acid also protected mitochondrial structure and alleviated liver, spleen, and ovarian tissue damage caused by AFB. In summary, lipoic acid can alleviate oxidative stress and tissue damage caused by AFB in young laying hens.