Protective effect of organic selenium and organic chromium dietary supplementation against aflatoxicosis in mice

Aflatoxins are highly toxic mycotoxins linked to serious health issues, including hepatotoxicity, immunosuppression, and oxidative stress. This study investigated the protective effects of chromium-methionine (Cr-Met) and selenium-methionine (Se-Met) supplementation, both alone and in combination, against aflatoxin-induced toxicity in mice. Five dietary treatments were implemented: a control diet (T1), an aflatoxin-contaminated diet containing 2 mg of aflatoxins per kg of diet (T2), and aflatoxin-contaminated diets supplemented with 0.5 mg of Cr-Met per kg (T3), 0.5 mg of Se-Met per kg (T4), or a combination of both (T5). Exposure to aflatoxins significantly (p < 0.05) impaired growth performance, disrupted liver enzyme profiles, suppressed immune function, and compromised antioxidant defense mechanisms. In contrast, dietary supplementation with T3 and T4 markedly (p < 0.05) enhanced growth performance, increased feed intake, and elevated immunoglobulin levels while reducing oxidative stress markers and liver damage. Gene expression analysis indicated that aflatoxin exposure led to the upregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and the downregulation of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx); supplementation effectively reversed these alterations. Notably, the combined supplementation (T5) demonstrated the most significant protective effects, suggesting the role of chromium and selenium in alleviating aflatoxin-induced toxicity (p < 0.05). These findings underscore the potential of using Cr-Met and Se-Met in combination as effective dietary strategies to mitigate aflatoxin toxicity and enhance antioxidant and immune responses.