Can antioxidants' supplementation modulate the impact of dietary deoxynivalenol and zearalenone co-contamination on the systemic and mucosal immune response of weaned pigs?

This study aimed to determine the effects of deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA) co-contamination on systemic immune responses and intestinal mucosal immunity in weaned piglets and to evaluate the mitigating ability of antioxidant supplements such as vitamins, organic selenium, and quercetin. Seventy-two castrated male pigs aged 20 d were randomly assigned to 12 pens (two animals per pen) and fed diets containing DON and ZEA at 0.8 and 0.06 mg/kg, respectively (CTR), or at 2.8 ± 0.3 and 1.20 ± 0.4 mg/kg, respectively (MT), or the MT diet supplemented with: vitamins A, C, and E (MT+V); yeast enriched with glutathione (GSH) and Se (MT+Y); quercetin (MT+Q); the combination of the 3 previous supplements (MT+VYQ). Pigs were immunized against ovalbumin (OVA) on d 0 and 7; blood samples were then collected on d 7 and 14 to measure cytokines, haptoglobin, and anti-OVA antibodies and to evaluate the leukocyte profile and phagocytic activity. The co-occurrence of DON and ZEA in the diet reduced the proportions of T helper lymphocytes and monocytes/macrophages but increased natural killer cells (P < 0.05). The MT+Y treatment increased γδ T lymphocytes (P < 0.05) and tended to decrease CD4+ CD8+ lymphocytes (P = 0.074). The MT+Q diet increased γδ T lymphocytes (P < 0.05) and tended to lower cytotoxic T lymphocytes (P = 0.086). Furthermore, the MT+Y treatment also increased interleukin (IL) 1β plasma concentration on d 7 and decreased it on d 14 (time × treatment effect, P < 0.001), whereas the MT+Q diet decreased IL1β and increased IL10 concentrations on d 7 (time × treatment effect, P < 0.001). The MT+Y diet also increased IL10 (P < 0.05) and tended to increase C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) expressions in the ileum (P < 0.05 and P = 0.066, respectively). The MT+Q treatment increased B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) and tended to increase IL10 expressions in the jejunum (P < 0.05 and P = 0.072, respectively). Diets containing DON and ZEA thus modified the blood leukocyte profile in weanling pigs. Providing antioxidant supplements did not restore the normal profiles. However, Se+GSH and quercetin did modify several immune parameters. The effect of the M+VYQ combination was no greater, and possibly weaker, than the single dietary supplements.