Protective effects of lycopene on mitochondrial oxidative injury and dysfunction in the liver of aflatoxin B(1)-exposed broilers

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of lycopene (LYC) on mitochondrial oxidative injury and dysfunction in the liver of aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1))-exposed broilers. A total of 192 healthy 1-day-old male broilers were randomly divided into 3 groups with 8 replicates of 8 birds each. Birds in the 3 groups were fed basal diet (control), basal diet with 100 µg/kg AFB(1), and basal diet with 100 µg/kg AFB(1) and 200 mg/kg LYC, respectively. The experiment lasted 42 d. The results showed that AFB(1) decreased average daily body weight gain (ADG), average daily feed intake, and gain to feed ratio (G :F) compared to the control group, the LYC supplementation increased ADG and G/F compared to AFB(1) group (P < 0.05). Broilers in the AFB(1) group had lower mitochondrial glutathione (mGSH) concentration and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), and thioredoxin reductase activities, and higher hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentrations than the control group (P < 0.05). The LYC increased mGSH concentration and GSH-Px and MnSOD activities, and decreased H(2)O(2) and ROS concentrations compared to AFB(1) group (P < 0.05). Broilers fed the AFB(1) diet showed increased mitochondrial swelling and decreased adenosine triphosphate concentration than the control group, and LYC had opposite effects (P < 0.05). The AFB(1) decreased the activities of mitochondrial electron transfer chain (ETC) complexes I, II, III, and V, downregulated the mRNA expression levels of hepatic MnSOD, thioredoxin 2, thioredoxin reductase, peroxiredoxin-3, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α, nuclear respiratory factor 1, and mitochondrial transcription factor A compared with the control group (P < 0.05), and LYC increased activities of mitochondrial ETC complexes III and V, and upregulated mRNA expression levels of these genes in comparison to AFB(1) group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the LYC protected broilers from AFB(1)-induced liver mitochondrial oxidative injury and dysfunction by stimulating mitochondrial antioxidant capacity and maintaining mitochondrial biogenesis.