A Nutritional Approach for the Management of Deoxynivalenol (DON) Toxicity in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Growing Chickens

It has been shown that DON has negative effects on the active transport of some nutrients in the small intestine of chickens. The plausible interactions between food contaminants and natural components could be high. The present study investigated the effects of DON on the presence or absence of dietary inulin on the electrophysiological response of the gut to glucose. Ussing chamber studies were conducted with isolated jejunal epithelia at the age of 35 days. Electrophysiology of the epithelia was recorded and the changes of the short-circuit current (Isc) were determined. The addition of D-glucose on the luminal side of the isolated mucosa increased ( P < 0.05) the Isc in the control group and inulin supplemented group. The oligosaccharides did not increase glucose absorption in young healthy chickens compared with the controls. In the second experiment, after preincubation of tissues with DON, the addition of glucose did not increase the Isc in jejunum and colon in the control group ( P > 0.05). However, in the dietary inulin supplemented group in both jejunum and colon, the addition of glucose after preincubation of tissues with DON increased the Isc, suggesting that the dietary inulin supplementation of the broilers regulated and improved the glucose absorption in the presence of DON and kept it at normal levels.