To evaluate the effect of cellulosic polymers (CEL) and curcumin (CUR) on aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) toxic effects on performance, and the biochemical and immunological parameters in broiler chickens, 150 one-day-old male broiler chicks were randomly allocated into five groups with three replicates of 10 chickens per pen: Negative Control (feed); AFB1 (feed + 2 ppm AFB1); CUR (feed + 2 ppm AFB1 + Curcumin 0.2%); CEL (feed + 2 ppm AFB1 + 0.3% Cellulosic polymers); and, CEL + CUR (feed + 2 ppm AFB1 + 0.3% Cellulose polymers + 0.2% Curcumin). Every week, body weight, body weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio were calculated. On day 21, liver, spleen, bursa of Fabricius, and intestine from five broilers per replicate per group were removed to obtain relative organ weight. Histopathological changes in liver, several biochemical biomarkers, antibody titers, and muscle and skin pigmentation were also recorded. Dietary addition of 0.3% CEL and 0.2% CUR separately significantly diminished some of the toxic effects resulting from AFB1 on performance parameters, relative organs weight, histopathology, immune response, and serum biochemical variables (P < 0.05); however, the combination of CUR and CEL showed a better-integrated approach for the management of poultry health problems that are related with the consumption of AFB1, since they have different mechanisms of action with different positive effects on the responses of broiler chickens.
Keywords: aflatoxin B1; broiler chickens; cellulosic polymers; curcumin; performance.