Effects of deoxynivalenol exposure on cerebral lipid peroxidation, neurotransmitter and calcium homeostasis of chicks in vivo

Abstract During current research, the effects of deoxynivalenol (DON) exposure on cerebral lipid peroxidation, neurotransmitter secretion and calcium homeostasis in chicks were evaluated. One hundred and twenty Hailan chicks (male, 1-day-old) were randomly divided into four groups. Chicks in low, medium and high dose groups were fed with 0.27, 1.68 and 12.21 mg/kg −1 DON respectively by gavage according to feed intake. Chicks in control group were fed with physiological saline by gavage. The trials were conducted for 36 d. At the end of the trials, twenty chicks per group were sacrificed, and the cerebra were collected for measuring the brain indices. Compared with the control group, the activities of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and glutathione peroxidase were significantly decreased in treatment groups ( P P P P P P P P