AMELIORATIVE POTENTIALS OF VITAMIN E AGAINST THE IMPACTS OF DIETARY FUMONISIN B, ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF FEMALE RABBITS

Abstract

Forty-nine young female rabbits were used to evaluate the ameliorative potentials of an antioxidant, vitamins E, against the growth-depressing effects of fumonisin B, (FB,)-an environmental mycotoxin, on animals. The animals were randomly assigned to the control diet without FB, and six diets containing different concentrations of dietary FB, or with antioxidant (i.e. 0.25mg FB, 0.5mg FB1, 0.75mg FB. 0.25mg FB, +100mg Vitamin E, 0.5mg FB, +100mg Vitamin E, and 0.75mg FB + 100mg Vitamin E) for 8 weeks. The weight changes of the rabbits generally decreased significantly (P<0.05) with increase in the dietary FB, concentrations and the potentials of the antioxidant to ameliorate the effect of the toxin on the animals also decreased with increase in the dietary FB, concentrations. The weight gained by the animals fed diets containing only FB, were only about 38.6-58.6 % while those fed diets containing FB, plus vitamin E had 80.494.8 % of those on the control. The antioxidant also improved the feed efficiency of the animals fed diets containing FB, plus vitamin E over those fed diets containing varied concentrations of FB, only. The study has shown the ameliorative potentials of vitamin E on the impacts of FB, on animal growth performance. Vitamin E at 100mg/kg of feed is recommended as a nutritional strategy pecially at concentrations of > 5.0 mg FB,/kg, to alleviate the growth-depressing effect of FB, on animal. The strategy of using food additives, such as antioxidants, to protect livestock from the mycotoxin may also provide effective and economical new approaches to protecting human populations.