The aim ofthis study is to evaluate ïhe hepatic function of experimentally intoxicated broilers by aflatoxin with and without sodium bentonite. Forty Ross mole broilers, were used divided into 4 groups of 10 birds, and such groups have been submitted to the following treatments: T1- control (feed without aflatoxin or sodium bentonite), T2- feed containing 5ppm of aflatoxin, T3- feed containing 5ppm of aflatoxin and 0.5% of sodium bentonite and T4- feed containing 0.5% of sodium bentonite. Ali these treatments have been appiied from the l st to the 42nd day of lif e. On the days 21, 35 and 42, the serum leveis of the enzimes aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanino aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and gamma glutamiltransferase (GGT). The analysis of variance showed an interaction between treatments and time of blood sampling for the following variables: AST, LDH and GGT. Tukey test was used to compare significant averages among treatments. It was observed that the enzimes AST, ALT and GGT have not shown significam diferences among treatments. However, in treatment 2, AST showed a linear increase (p < 0.01) along the experiment, more pronounced in treatment 2. The ALT had no variation in any treatment during the total period. The GGT enzyme in treatments 2 and 3 had a linear increase (p < 0.05) for ali periods. The LDH leveis, at the 21st day, was higher for treatments 2 and 3 compared to treatments l and 4. According to the results, it can be concluded that is possible to detect the hepatotoxicity of aflatoxin in through monitoring of enzimes AST and GGT leveis, in the serum of birds between 21 and 42 days of age, and by evaluation ofLDH at 21 days.
broilers; aflatoxins; serie enzimes; liver function; sodium bentonite
