Porcine Hepatic Response to Fumonisin B₁ in a Short Exposure Period: Fatty Acid Profile and Clinical Investigations

Scarce studies have investigated the impact of fumonisin B₁ (FB₁) on the hepatic tissue fatty acid (FA) profile, and no study is available on piglets. A 10-day in vivo experiment was performed on seven piglets/group: control and FB₁-fed animals (diet was contaminated with fungal culture: 20 mg FB₁/kg diet). Independent sample t-test was carried out at p < 0.05 as the significance level. Neither growth, nor feed efficiency, was affected. The hepatic phospholipid (PL) fatty acids (FAs) were more susceptible for FB₁, while triglyceride (TG) was less responsive. The impact of FB₁ on hepatic PL polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) was more pronounced than on saturated fatty acids. Among all PUFAs, predominant ones in response were docosapentaenoicacid (DPA) (↓), docosahexaenoic DHA (↓) and arachidonic acids (↑). This led to a higher omega-6:omega-3 ratio, whereas a similar finding was noted in TGs. Neither total saturation (SFA) nor total monousaturation (MUFA) were affected by the FB₁ administration. The liver showed an increase in malondialdehyde, as well as antioxidant capacity (reduced glutathione and glutathione peroxidase). The plasma enzymatic assessment revealed an increase in alkaline phosphatase (ALP), while alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) were not influenced. The microscopic sections provided evidence of vacuolar degeneration of the hepatocytes' cytoplasm, but it was not severe. Furthermore, the lung edema was developed, while the kidney was not affected. In conclusion, regarding FB₁-mediated hepatotoxicity in piglets, the potential effect of slight hepatotoxicity did not compromise growth performance, at least at the dose and exposure period applied.