Early Biomarkers for Detecting Subclinical Exposure to Fumonisin B1, Deoxynivalenol, and Zearalenone in Broiler Chickens

Identifying biomarkers of mycotoxin effects in chickens will provide an opportunity for early intervention to reduce the impact of mycotoxicosis. This study aimed to identify whether serum enzyme concentrations, gut integrity, and liver miRNAs can be potential biomarkers for fumonisin B1 (FB1), deoxynivalenol (DON), and zearalenone (ZEA) toxicity in broiler birds as early as 14 days after exposure. A total of 720 male broiler chicks were distributed to six treatment groups: T1: control group (basal diet), T2 (2 FB1 + 2.5 DON + 0.9 ZEA), T3 (5 FB1 + 0.4 DON + 0.1 ZEA), T4 (9 FB1 + 3.5 DON + 0.7 ZEA), T5 (17 FB1 + 1.0 DON + 0.2 ZEA), and T6 (21 FB1 + 3.0 DON + 1.0 ZEA), all in mg/kg diet. On d14, there were no significant differences in the body weight gain (BWG) of mycotoxin treatment groups when compared to the control (<i>p</i> > 0.05), whereas on d21, T6 birds showed significantly reduced BWG compared to the control (<i>p</i> < 0.05). On d14, birds in T6 showed significant upregulation of liver miRNAs, gga-let-7a-5p (14.17-fold), gga-miR-9-5p (7.05-fold), gga-miR-217-5p (16.87-fold), gga-miR-133a-3p (7.41-fold), and gga-miR-215-5p (6.93-fold) (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and elevated serum fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (FITC-d) concentrations, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and creatine kinase (CK) levels compared to the control (<i>p</i> < 0.05). On d21, T2 to T6 birds exhibited reduced serum phosphorus, glucose, and potassium, while total protein, FITC-d, AST, and CK levels increased compared to control (<i>p</i> < 0.05). These findings suggest that serum FITC-d, AST, CK, and liver miRNAs could serve as biomarkers for detecting mycotoxin exposure in broiler chickens.