Vitamin U Attenuates Acute Aflatoxin B₁-Induced Liver Injury in Mice: Biochemical, Histological and Transcriptomic...

Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) causes acute liver injury in livestock. This study evaluated whether Vitamin U could alleviate AFB₁-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. AFB₁ (3 mg/kg) reduced PLT, PCT, and EOS counts, caused hepatic vascular congestion, and decreased GSH-Px activity. Vitamin U (50 mg/kg) significantly improved these hematological parameters, alleviated central venous and sinusoidal congestion, increased T-SOD activity and upregulated IL-10 mRNA expression. However, Vitamin U did not significantly reverse AFB₁-induced elevation of ALP or reduction in GSH-Px, nor did it affect ALT, AST, or protein levels of the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway. Transcriptomic analysis revealed enrichment of DEGs in immune- and cell cycle-related pathways, with no direct enrichment observed in the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway. Vitamin U upregulated Keap1 mRNA expression but did not alter KEAP1 protein levels. In conclusion, Vitamin U partially protects against AFB₁-induced acute liver injury by ameliorating thrombocytopenia, vascular congestion, enhancing T-SOD activity, and upregulating IL-10 expression, providing preliminary experimental evidence for further investigation.