Effect of Selenium Supplementation on Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Blockage of Renal Cells in Broilers Fed a Diet Containing Aflatoxin B1

The aim of the study was to investigate the competency of selenium (Se) in counteracting the adverse effects of aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ) on apoptosis, cell cycle, and proliferation of nephritic cells. Two hundred forty 1-day-old healthy male avian broilers were randomly divided into four groups and fed basal diet (control group), 0.3 mg/kg AFB 1 diet (AFB 1 group), 0.4 mg/kg Se diet (+Se group), and 0.3 mg/kg AFB 1 + 0.4 mg/kg Se diet (AFB 1 + Se group), respectively. Compared to the control group, the number of apoptotic renal cells and expressions of Bax and caspase-3 messenger RNA (mRNA) were significantly increased, while the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly decreased in the AFB 1 and the +Se groups ( p