The Immune Enchaining Role of Dietary Sulforaphane on the Major Histocompatibility Complex BF-2 (MHC BF-2) Gene Expression as Feed Additives on Broilers

M. Suleyman, Mahmoud; M. Elbakry, Moustafa

doi:10.21608/asejaiqjsae.2025.449769

The Immune Enchaining Role of Dietary Sulforaphane on the Major Histocompatibility Complex BF-2 (MHC BF-2) Gene Expression as Feed Additives on Broilers

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Research at the Regional Center for Food and Feed, Agricultural Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt.

² Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

10.21608/asejaiqjsae.2025.449769

Abstract

This study investigated the immune-enhancing effects of dietary sulforaphane (SFN) on the Major Histocompatibility Complex BF-2 (MHC BF-2) gene expression in broiler chickens exposed to Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁), a known immunosuppressive mycotoxin. One hundred one-day-old Cobb 500 broilers were divided into five groups: a negative control (no AFB₁ or SFN), a positive control (AFB₁ only), and three SFN-treated groups (10, 20, and 30 mg/kg SFN with 1 mg/kg AFB₁). At day 42, blood samples were analyzed for immunoglobulin levels (IgA, IgY) and BF-2 gene expression using quantitative real time PCR (qPCR). Results showed that AFB₁ significantly suppressed BF-2 expression and reduced IgA and IgY levels (p < 0.01). SFN supplementation reversed these effects dose-dependently, with the 20 mg/kg SFN group exhibiting the highest immune enhancement, 1.8-fold increase in BF-2 expression and elevated immunoglobulins (p < 0.01). RNA integrity was preserved in the SFN-treated groups, particularly at a dose of 20 mg/kg. Strong correlations were observed between BF-2 expression, humoral immunity, and CD8+ T-cell counts. These findings suggest that SFN, especially at 20 mg/kg, mitigates AFB₁-induced immunosuppression by enhancing immune gene expression, likely via Nrf2/NF-κB pathways, positioning it as a promising natural feed additive for poultry.

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