Acta Veterinaria Brno

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The protective effect of polysaccharide glucan in chickens fed low doses of T-2 toxin was assessed. The binder effect of β-D-glucan on jejunal mucosa in relation to the expression of Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase, proliferative activity of enterocytes and number of goblet cells was investigated. A total of 40 one-day-old chickens were allocated to four groups: control (C), β-D-glucan (G), T-2 toxin (T) and combined β-D-glucan+T-2 toxin (GT). The chickens were individually administrated per os 1.0 mg/bird/day of β-D-glucan derived from Candida albicans on days 11, 12, and 21 of the experiment (totally 3 mg per bird). T-2 toxin at a concentration of 1.45 μg·kg^-1 was added to the feed from day 14 to day 28 of the experiment. The α subunit-specific anti-Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase antibody was used to identify the protein by immunofluorescence in the cell membrane of jejunal enterocytes. Higher expression of Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase was found in the jejunal epithelial cells and lamina propria in the chickens fed T-2 toxin and administered glucan (P < 0.05) compared to control. The number of proliferated enterocytes was higher in group T compared to group G and control (P < 0.001), as well group GT (P < 0.01). Goblet cell density did not present significant differences between groups of chickens, but group G showed the highest values. These data suggest that administration of pure T-2 toxin at low doses affects primarily the protein synthesis of actively dividing cells. Higher distribution of Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase in enterocytes of chickens in GT group suggests positive influence of glucan and mycotoxin on the ion pump. A binding effect of this immunomodulator on the digestive tract mucosa in the applied setup was not observed.

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