Abstract:

Aflatoxins (AFs) are chemically secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium genera. It has adverse effects on humans and animals health due to inhibition of macromolecule synthesis. The current research investigate the pathological and biochemical changes in lymph follicles of female rats exposed to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) for one month and the efficacy of isolated bradykinin potentiating factor (BPF) from cobra snake venom, butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT) and oltipraz (OPZ) to ameliorate those changes. Aflatoxicosis cause significant increase of lipid peroxidation (LPO) and nitric oxide (NO) in addition to significant decrease in the level of total thiols, glutathione (GSH) and the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione S-transferase (GST). Moreover, AFB1 caused histopathological changes in lymph follicles represented by depletion of the lymphoid cells. Treatment of aflatoxicosed rats with BPF, BHT or OPZ resulting in amelioration of the oxidative stress markers and improvement in the histological structure of lymph follicles represented by increase of lymphoid cell population with presence of mast cells and collagen bundle. In conclusion BPF, BHT or OPZ ameliorate the aflatoxicosis with priority for the BPF.