The Smooth Muscle Contractility In Aflatoxicated Broiler Chicken Ileum

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the contractility of aflatoxicated isolated broiler ileum smooth muscles. Fourty-eight, one-day old broiler chicks were divided into 4 groups, each containing 12 chicks. The 1st group was the control group, the 2nd group received 1 g/kg yeast glucomannan (Mycosorb), the 3rd group received 2 mg/kg aflatoxin, and the 4th group received 1 g/kg yeast glucomannan + 2 mg/kg aflatoxin in the feed. At the 21st day of the study, chicks were decapitated and the ileum isolated. Decapitation lasted on 28th day of the study. The isolated ileum strips were mounted under a basal tension of 1 g. The contractions of acetylcholine (ACh), nicotine, and bethanechol were calculated as g contraction/mg wet weight of ileum. For histopathologic examination, ileum sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and masson trichrome. The isolated ileum muscle contractions with ACh, nicotine, and bethanechol were not statistically significant in the study groups as compared to control group (P>0.05). Pathological examination revealed no histopathological changes in the smooth muscle tissues of the study group chicks when compared with control group. It is concluded that aflatoxins do not specifically change the contractility of broiler chick ileum to agonists most likely due to lack of aflatoxin-induced pathologic changes in the broiler chick ileum.