A novel mycotoxin-degrading enzyme complex alleviates the combined toxicity of AFB1, DON, and ZEN in laying hens.

Mycotoxin co-contamination in feed represents a major threat to poultry production, but effective detoxification strategies remain limited. This study evaluated the protective effects of a novel mycotoxin-degrading enzyme complex (MDE) against dietary aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), deoxynivalenol (DON), and zearalenone (ZEN) co-contamination in laying hens. A total of 600 Hy-Line Brown laying hens were randomly assigned to five groups and fed a basal diet, a toxin-contaminated diet (20 μg/kg AFB1, 3.0 mg/kg DON, and 0.5 mg/kg ZEN), or the contaminated diet supplemented with MDE at 100, 200, or 400 g/t for 6 weeks. Co-exposure to mycotoxins reduced feed intake, egg-laying rate, and egg mass, increased the indices of kidney, spleen, and crop, and induced intestinal, hepatic, and ovarian lesions. Mycotoxin challenge also increased serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and diamine oxidase (DAO) levels, elevated malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the duodenum, indicating impaired intestinal barrier function and oxidative stress. Dietary supplementation of MDE at 100, 200 and(or) 400 g/t alleviated several of these adverse effects, particularly by improving duodenal morphology, reducing serum LPS by 43.1-64.7% and DAO by 26.2-67.6% concentrations, and restoring ovarian follicular structure. These findings indicate that MDE is a promising enzymatic strategy to mitigate the adverse effects of AFB1, DON, and ZEN co-contamination in laying hens, with particularly beneficial effects on intestinal barrier integrity and reproductive health.