Response of growth performance, serum metabolites, intestinal tight junction structure and bacterial microbiomes to the long-term intervention of aflatoxin B1 in Lateolabrax maculatus diets

Abstract

Dietary inclusion of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) has been reported to induce intestinal damage and dysregulate intestinal microbiota of shrimp, but limited information is available in fish. A 56-day feeding trial was conducted to assess the effects of dietary AFB1 on growth performance, serum metabolites, intestinal tight junction structure and bacterial microbiomes of Lateolabrax maculatus. Four diets were formulated to contain 0 (G0), 0.1 (G0.1), 0.5 (G0.5) and 1.0 (G1.0) mg/kg of AFB1, and each diet was randomly assigned to three groups of 40 fish per tank. Fish were fed to apparent satiation twice daily. Results indicated that increased dietary AFB1 concentration from 0 to 1.0 mg/kg decreased (P 0.05) alpha diversity indexes of ace, chao, shannon and simpson in the intestinal microbiota of fish. In conclusion, inclusion of AFB1 up to 1.0 mg/kg in diets decreased growth performance, induced liver and intestinal injury, and altered intestinal microbiota composition without impacting the bacterial diversity of Lateolabrax maculatus.

Keywords

• Aflatoxin B1
• Intestinal health
• Intestinal microbiota
• Lateolabrax maculatus