Effectiveness of Maifanite in Reducing the Detrimental Effects of Cadmium on Growth Performance, Cadmium Residue, Hematological Parameters, Serum Biochemistry, and the Activities of Antioxidant Enzymes in Pigs

This study was conducted to investigate the toxicity of cadmium and to evaluate the effectiveness of maifanite in preventing cadmium-induced adverse effects. Thirty-two crossbred pigs (Duroc x Landrace x Large white, sex balanced, 17.25 +/- 0.07 kg average body weight) were randomly allotted to one of four dietary treatments in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement, with eight replicates per treatment and one pig per replicate. The dietary treatments included two cadmium (as CdCl2) doses (0.32 and 30.49 mg/kg) and two maifanite doses (0 and 1 %). The results showed that pigs treated with cadmium decreased their average daily feed intake (P < 0.05) and increased (P < 0.05) the feed/gain ratio. Cadmium was found in the tissues of pigs that were fed with cadmium-contaminated diets, but the level of cadmium was much lower when maifanite was added to the cadmium-contaminated diets. Ingestion of diets that were artificially contaminated with cadmium (30.49 mg/kg of cadmium) reduced (P < 0.05) the number of lymphocytes, the total erythrocyte count, the hemoglobin level, and the hematocrit. However, the activities of serum aspartate aminotransferase and gamma glutamyltransferase were increased (P < 0.05). The total protein level was lower (P < 0.05) in pigs fed with cadmium-contaminated diets. The contents of malondialdehyde increased (P < 0.05), while the total antioxidant capacity and the activities of total superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, and catalase decreased (P < 0.05) in pigs fed with cadmium-contaminated diets. Dietary addition of maifanite can, to some extent, prevent the negative effects associated with feeding cadmium diets (30.49 mg/kg of cadmium) to pigs.