# Protective effects of a multicomponent toxin binder and organic acid blend on feed efficiency, oxidative status, hepatic histology, and jejunal immune–antioxidant responses in broilers co-challenged with aflatoxin B1 and Clostridium perfringens

## TL;DR

A blend of toxin binders and organic acids helps protect chickens from the harmful effects of aflatoxin and Clostridium perfringens.

## Contribution

The study introduces a multicomponent toxin binder and organic acid blend as an effective strategy for mitigating aflatoxin and bacterial co-challenges in broilers.

## Key findings

- The combination of MTB and OAB improved feed efficiency and oxidative status in co-challenged broilers.
- MTB+OAB reduced liver damage and normalized immune and antioxidant gene expression.
- Co-challenge with aflatoxin and C. perfringens caused greater detriments than aflatoxin alone.

## Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of a multicomponent toxin binder (MTB) and an organic acid blend (OAB) on performance, immunity, oxidative status, liver histology, and jejunal inflammatory/antioxidant gene expression in broilers challenged with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and Clostridium perfringens. A total of 420 Ross 308 broilers were assigned to seven groups (6 replicates × 10 birds): Control (unchallenged), A (AFB1), AM (AFB1 + MTB), AMO (AFB1 + MTB + OAB), AC (AFB1+ C. perfringens), ACM (AFB1 + C. perfringens + MTB), and ACMO (AFB1 + C. perfringens + MTB+OAB). AFB1 (500 ppb) was provided throughout days 0–42; C. perfringens (1 × 10⁸ CFU/mL) was administered on days 15–24. AFB1 alone, and more markedly the AFB1+C. perfringens co-challenge, reduced body-weight gain and feed efficiency, increased hepatic superoxide dismutase activity and malondialdehyde level, enlarged central-vein diameter, upregulated jejunal NF-κB1, TNF-α, and IL-6, and downregulated hepatic total antioxidant capacity and jejunal NRF2 and SOD1 mRNA expression (P < 0.05). The co-challenge also lowered Newcastle disease antibody titers, reduced phytohemagglutinin-induced toe-web swelling, and increased the heterophil:lymphocyte ratio (P < 0.05). Although MTB attenuated several AFB1-related impairments, MTB+OAB provided superior protection under co-challenge, increasing hepatic total antioxidant capacity, lowering malondialdehyde, improving liver histoarchitecture (central-vein diameter), and normalizing the expression of immune and antioxidant genes toward control levels, alongside improvements in performance indices (P < 0.05). In conclusion, although co-exposure to AFB1 and C. perfringens caused greater detriments than AFB1 alone, adding OAB to MTB improved performance, oxidative, histological, and immunological outcomes, supporting MTB+OAB as a practical strategy for broilers under concurrent mycotoxin–enteric challenge.