The Influence of Non-Starch Polysaccharide Enzymes in Diets Contaminated with Deoxynivalenol and Its Modified Form, Deoxynivalenol-3-Glucoside, on Growth Performance and Toxicokinetics in Broiler Chickens

The interaction between modified forms of deoxynivalenol (DON), such as DON-3-glucoside (DON-3G), and feed enzymes is underestimated. We assessed the interaction between DON and non-starch polysaccharide enzymes (NSPases) on growth performance, plasma metabolomics, and excreta levels of DON and its metabolites (Experiment 1), as well as DON toxicokinetics (Experiment 2). Broiler chickens were fed maize-based diets naturally contaminated with low (LD; 516–792 μg DON/kg diet) or moderate (MD; 2395–3020 μg DON/kg diet) levels of DON. The LD and MD diets were supplemented with or without an NSPase blend. The MD diet impaired growth performance in broiler chickens up to 14 days of age, whereas no differences were observed in older birds. NSPase supplementation decreased body weight gain (BWG) in 28-day-old broiler chickens fed the MD diet and increased excreta levels of DON-3-sulfate (DON-3S). NSPase supplementation also improved the feed conversion ratio (FCR) without increasing BWG. Additionally, NSPase altered the toxicokinetic profile of DON in broiler chickens fed the MD diet, and the time to maximum plasma concentration (Tmax) of DON-3S was influenced by both NSPase supplementation and the DON level in the diet. To our knowledge, these findings provide the first evidence that NSPases influence DON toxicokinetics in poultry.