Phytochemicals reduce aflatoxin-induced toxicity in chicken embryos

Aflatoxins (AF) are toxic metabolites produced by molds, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, which frequently contaminate poultry feed ingredients. Ingestion of AF-contaminated feed by chickens leads to deleterious effects, including decreased bird performance and reduced egg production. Moreover, AF residues in fertilized eggs result in huge economic losses by decreasing embryo viability and hatchability. This study investigated the efficacy of 2 generally recognized as safe phytochemicals, namely carvacrol (CR) and trans-cinnamaldehyde (TC), in protecting chicken embryos from AF-induced toxicity. Day-old embryonated eggs were injected with 50 ng or 75 ng AF with or without 0.1% CR or TC, followed by incubation in an incubator for 18 d. Relative embryo weight, yolk sac weight, tibia weight, tibia length, and mortality were recorded on d 18 of incubation. The effect of phytochemicals and methanol (diluent) on embryo viability was also determined. Each experiment had ten treatments with 15 eggs/treatment (n = 150 eggs/experiment) and each experiment was replicated 3 times. Both phytochemicals significantly decreased AF-induced toxicity in chicken embryos. At 75 ng of AF/egg, CR and TC increased the survival of chicken embryo by ∼55%. Moreover, CR and TC increased relative embryo weight by ∼3.3% and 17% when compared to eggs injected with 50 ng or 75 ng AF, respectively. The growth of embryos (tibia length and weight) was improved in phytochemical-treated embryos compared to those injected with AF alone (P < 0.05). Phytochemical and methanol treatments did not adversely affect embryo survival, and other measured parameters as compared to the negative control (P > 0.05). Results from this study demonstrate that CR and TC could reduce AF-induced toxicity in chicken embryos; however, additional studies are warranted to delineate the mechanistic basis behind this effect.