Curcumin Prevents Aflatoxin B1 Hepatoxicity by Inhibition of Cytochrome P450 Isozymes in Chick Liver

This study was designed to establish if Curcumin (CM) alleviates Aflatoxin B-1 (AFB(1))-induced hepatotoxic effects and to determine whether alteration of the expression of cytochrome P450 (CYP450) isozymes is involved in the regulation of these effects in chick liver. One-day-old male broilers (n = 120) were divided into four groups and used in a two by two factorial trial in which the main factors included supplementing AFB(1) (< 5 vs. 100 mu g/kg) and CM (0 vs. 150 mg/kg) in a corn/soybean-based diet. Administration of AFB(1) induced liver injury, significantly decreasing albumin and total protein concentrations and increasing alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities in serum, and induced hepatic histological lesions at week 2. AFB(1) also significantly decreased hepatic glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and glutathione levels, while increasing malondialdehyde, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, and exo-AFB(1)-8,9-epoxide (AFBO)-DNA concentrations. In addition, the mRNA and/or activity of enzymes responsible for the bioactivation of AFB(1) into AFBO-including CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2A6, and CYP3A4-were significantly induced in liver microsomes after 2-week exposure to AFB(1). These alterations induced by AFB(1) were prevented by CM supplementation. Conclusively, dietary CM protected chicks from AFB(1)-induced liver injury, potentially through the synergistic actions of increased antioxidant capacities and inhibition of the pivotal CYP450 isozyme-mediated activation of AFB(1) to toxic AFBO.