article · Toxins
Exposure to aflatoxin B1 causes significant kidney damage and health issues in growing animals. In an eight-week trial using growing New Zealand White rabbits, researchers tested the protective effects of Origanum vulgare, commonly known as marjoram, essential oil against aflatoxin B1 toxicity. Rabbits receiving a diet containing the essential oil alongside the toxin showed notable health improvements compared to those fed only the toxin. The essential oil reduced kidney toxicity markers such as cystatin C, suppressed oxidative stress, and lowered lipid peroxidation. It also diminished DNA damage, reduced inflammatory reactions, and down-regulated genes associated with stress and inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, the essential oil preserved renal cellular structure, demonstrating that dietary marjoram essential oil counteracts aflatoxin B1 nephropathy by boosting antioxidant activity and curbing inflammation.
Aflatoxin B1 is a widespread feed contaminant that damages organ function and compromises animal health. Demonstrating that a natural plant extract such as Origanum vulgare essential oil can shield vital organs from fungal toxins provides a biological basis for safer, plant-based nutritional strategies to protect livestock from dietary contamination.
This research could inform the formulation of protective feed additives for livestock producers and animal feed manufacturers seeking natural solutions against mycotoxins. Tested in growing rabbits at a specific dietary dose, the findings represent early-stage in vivo experimental work, requiring further commercial-scale validation and safety testing before real-world adoption.
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The current study was performed to investigate the toxic effects of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) through the evaluation of kidney function tests and histopathological examination of renal tissues, targeting the therapeutic role of Marjoram (Origanum vulgare essential oil-OEO) in improving health status. Forty-eight New Zealand Whites growing rabbits (four weeks old) weighing on average 660.5 ± 2.33 g were randomly and equally distributed into four groups, each of which had four replicas of three animals as the following: Control group (only basal diet), AFB1 group (0.3 mg AFB1/kg diet), OEO group (1 g OEO/kg diet) and co-exposed group (1 g OEO/kg + 0.3 mg AF/kg diet). Our study lasted eight weeks and was completed at 12 weeks of age. The results revealed that OEO decreased the toxic effects of AFB1 in rabbit kidneys by substantially reducing the cystatin C levels in the AFB1 group. Additionally, OEO decreased oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation levels in the co-exposed group. Moreover, OEO reduced DNA damage and inflammatory response in addition to the down-regulation of stress and inflammatory cytokines-encoding genes. Besides, OEO preserved the cytoarchitecture of rabbits’ kidneys treated with AFB1. In conclusion, O. vulgare essential oil supplementation ameliorated the deleterious effects of AFB1 on the rabbits’ kidneys by raising antioxidant levels, decreasing inflammation, and reversing oxidative DNA damage.
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DOI: 10.3390/toxins15010069
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