Selenomethionine Attenuates Aflatoxin B1-induced Liver Injury by Modulating the Gut Microbiota and Metabolites in Rabbits

Dietary contamination with aflatoxin B-1 (AFB(1)), which can lead to severe liver damage, poses a great threat to livestock and poultry breeding and has detrimental impacts on food safety. Selenomethionine (SeMet), with anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and detoxifying effects, is regarded as a beneficial food additive. However, whether SeMet can reduce AFB(1)-induced liver injury and intestinal microbial disorders in rabbits remains to be revealed. Forty 35-day-old rabbits were randomly divided into a control group, an AFB(1) group, and 0.2 mg/kg Se and 0.4 mg/kg Se groups. The SeMet treatment group was fed different doses of the SeMet diet every day for 21 days. On Days 17-21, the AFB(1) group, 0.2 mg/kg Se, and 0.4 mg/kg Se groups were intragastrically administered 0.3 mg AFB(1)/kg b.w. Results showed that SeMet restored alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, alleviating AFB(1)-induced liver function damage. This was linked to changes in intestinal metabolites and activation of the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase-1 (Nrf2/HO-1) pathway. In this study, the relationships between intestinal microorganisms and their metabolites and AFB(1)-induced liver injury are investigated, and the potential protective role of SeMet against liver damage induced by AFB(1) offers novel insights into strategies for the prevention and treatment of AFB(1)-related toxicity.