Cooperative Interaction of Phenolic Acids and Flavonoids Contained in Activated Charcoal with Herb Extracts, Involving Cholesterol, Bile Acid, and FXR/PXR Activation in Broilers Fed with Mycotoxin-Containing Diets

Abstract

The charcoal–herb extract complex (CHC) is a product of activated charcoal sorption of herb extracts that contain phenolic acids and flavonoids. The effective dose of CHC to promote animal growth is about one tenth of effective dosage of activated charcoal. The purpose of this study was to evaluate potential cooperative interactions between activated charcoal and herb extracts. Two feeding experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, a responsive dose of CHC to broiler growth was determined to be 250 mg/kg of the diet. In Experiment 2, CHC increased growth performance and improved meat quality, but decreased indices of oxidative stress and inflammation as compared with similar doses of activated charcoal or herb extracts. CHC also increased concentrations of serum cholesterol, bile acid in the gallbladder, and bile acid in feces. The herb extracts present in CHC were largely represented by phenolic acids (PAs, caffeic acid, and vanillin) and flavonoids (FVs, daidzein, and quercetin-D-glucoside) in the detoxification activity of CHC in a mouse rescue test when the mice were gavaged with T-2 mycotoxin. PAs and FVs significantly increased the expression of CYP7A1, PXR, CYP3A37, Slco1B3, and Bsep in chicken primary hepatocytes. In conclusion, CHC integrated the cooperative interactions of activated charcoal and herb extracts via the FXR/RXR-PXR pathway to detoxify mycotoxins.

Sorption of phenols and flavonoids on activated charcoal improves protein metabolism, antioxidant status, immunity, and intestinal morphology in broilers

“…The extracts of Chinese herbs contain several components, including phenols, flavonoids, and organic acids ( 28 ), and these may enhance the redox-buffering effect of activated charcoal. In another of our studies, phenols and flavonoids were shown to account for the majority of the detoxifying effects of herbal extracts ( 32 ). However, it is still unclear whether the sorption of phenolic acids and flavonoids into activated charcoal can promote growth in vivo .…”

“…This dose was more than 200 times lower than previously reported beneficial doses of mixed extracts ( 46 ). However, this low dose of herbal extract significantly facilitated the function of activated charcoal in promoting growth performance, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities ( 32 ). Without sorption of the extract, activated charcoal at the same dose showed no such activity.…”

“…The preparation of phenolic acids and flavonoids (PF) sorption to activated charcoal (PFAC) followed previously described methods ( 32 ), except that phenolic acids and flavonoids were products (PF product) from Xi’an Victory-Bio Ltd. Co. (Xi’an, China) (Lot no. DXE2013453), which were derived from methanolic extraction of Portulaca oleracea L .…”

“…All determinations were performed in six replicates. The ratio of PF products to activated charcoal was 1:9 (w/w) in the final PFAC, according to our previous study ( 32 ). Specifically, 250 mg/kg of PFAC contained 225 mg of AC and 25 mg of PF; 500 mg/kg of PFAC contained 450 mg of AC and 50 mg of PF; 750 mg of PFAC contained 675 mg of AC and 75 mg of PF, and so on.…”

Herbal medicine and gut microbiota: exploring untapped therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative disease management

“…Through the modulation of bile acid metabolism and receptor activation, herbal medicines can potentially affect several physiological processes. These include reducing cholesterol levels, improving glycemic control, and promoting energy expenditure (Hua et al 2021 ; Zhang et al 2022c ). Additionally, because bile acids are involved in regulating inflammation and immune responses, herbal medicine-mediated manipulation of bile acid signaling pathways can have implications for treating inflammatory diseases.…”