Efficacy of Silybum Marianum Seeds in Ameliorating the Toxic Effects of Aflatoxin B1 in Broilers

Background: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of silybum marianum seeds (SMSs) on blood biochemical profile of broiler chickens contaminated with Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1).  Methods: Combinations of three levels of AFB1 (0, 250 and 500 ppb) with three levels of SMSs (0, 0.5, and 1.0 %) were incorporated into the basal diet (corn and soybean meal). The effect of nine experimental treatments was assessed using 216 One-d-old Ross 308 male broiler chicks in a complete randomized design based on factorial design with 4 replicates of six birds. The individual effects of dietary AFB1 and SMSs on serum biochemistry factors and liver enzymes were evaluated at 35 days of age. Statistical package SAS (9.1) was used to perform the analysis. Results: The main effects of uric acid, glucose, total bilirubin and liver enzymes (such as aspartate amino-transferase (AST), alanine amino-transaminase (ALT) and γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT)) in groups received different levels of AFB1 significantly increased (P<0.01). In contrast, albumin, direct bilirubin, calcium, and phosphorus significantly decreased (P<0.05). However, the SMSs supplemented diets significantly decreased uric acid, glucose, AST and GGT enzymes compare to control group (P<0.01). Conclusion: SMSs might prevent the adverse effects of AFB1 in contaminated food and improve safety and quality of poultry products for human use.