Bacillus licheniformis CK1 alleviates the toxic effects of zearalenone in feed on weaned female Tibetan piglets

Zearalenone (ZEA) is widely present in feedstuffs and raw materials, causing reproductive disorders in animals. In this study, Bacillus licheniformis CK1 was used to detoxify ZEA in feed for alleviating its effect in Tibetan piglets. A total of 18 weaned female Tibetan piglets were randomly divided into 3 groups: control group (Control, ZEA-free basal diet); treatment group 1 (T1, ZEA-contaminated diet); and treatment group 2 (T2, ZEA-contaminated but pre-fermented by CK1 diet). There were no significant differences of average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), and feed efficiency (FE) among the 3 groups (P > 0.05). The T1 treatment significantly increased the vulva size and relative weight of the reproductive organ (P < 0.05), compared with the Control. However, the T2 treatment caused a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in vulva size and relative weight of the reproductive organ compared with the T1 group. The levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), progesterone (P), and estradiol (E2) in the T1 group were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than those in the Control, while the levels of LH, P, and E2 in the T2 group were significantly greater (P < 0.05) than those in the T1 group. Zearalenone significantly increased (P < 0.05) the expression of estrogen receptor a in uterus and ovary and estrogen receptor ß in vagina, while these indicators were not significant different (P > 0.05) between the T2 group and the Control group. In comparison with the Control group, ZEA significantly increased (P < 0.05) expression of several ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters: ABCB1 and ABCb4 in the vagina, ABCA1 and ABCb4 in the uterus, and ABCB1, ABCb4, ABCD3, and ABCG2 in the ovary, while these transporters in the T2 group were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) compared with the T1 group. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that B. licheniformis CK1 could alleviate the harmful effect of ZEA in Tibetan piglets.