Histological modifications induced by the mycotoxin ZEA in weaned piglets and the counteraction of its toxic effect by the use of pre- and probiotics

The study presented aimed to establish the morphophysiological changes induced by ZEA in certain tissues of weaned piglets and to investigate the decontamination potential of inulin and Rhodotorula rubra. For this reason we collected samples of liver and kidney from 20 weaned piglets allocated into four treatment groups: group 1 received weanling formula feed concentrate, group 2 feed concentrate supplemented with inulin and Rhodotorula rubra, group 3 feed concentrate which incorporated ZEA and group 4 feed concentrate to which ZEA, inulin and Rhodotorula rubra had been added. The experiment was carried out over an 18 day period with a level of ZEA of 250 ppb/g. A range of histological changes were observed in the liver and kidney samples taken from group 3 to whose food concentrate only ZEA had been added. Thus a slight tendency to fibrosis of the conjunctive perilobular septa was observed, the interlobular biliary canaliculi were slightly hypertrophic and most hepatocytes showing hypertrophy and having clear vacuolated cytoplasm. A frequently encountered feature of kidney tissue was the compression of the renal glomeruli. Renal parenchyma presented a disorganised aspect, with nephrocytes being dystrophic in a number of regions, while the stroma showed slight signs of interstitial and perivascular fibrosis. The synbiotic combination of inulin and Rhodotorula rubra led to a diminution of the modifications produced by ZEA, with the histopathological modifications concerned in these two types of tissue becoming less evident.