Effect of HCH contamination of diet on the growth performance and immune and antioxidant ability in growing/finishing pigs.

The effects of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) on growth performance and immune and oxidative stress in growing/finishing pigs were studied. Seventy-two pigs, with equal numbers of barrows and gilts, of the same genotype (Duroc x Landrace x Large White), were randomly assigned to three groups receiving the same basal diet, exposed to 0, 0.4 and 0.8 mg/kg technical HCH, respectively, for 90 days. Six pigs from each group were randomly picked out and slaughtered on a finishing feeding trial. The result showed that addition of HCH did not affect the growth performance significantly but increased the weight of kidney and thymus significantly. Total serum IgG and IgM were elevated significantly, but there were no significant differences in serum IgA, C3 and C4 among the groups. Addition of HCH to feedstuff reduced superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione S-transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities in liver, reduced serum catalase (CAT) activity, and increased serum malondialehyde (MDA). Moreover, the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase were increased significantly. Addition of 0.4 mg/kg or 0.8 mg/kg HCH did not affect the growth performance but affected the immune and antioxidant potential.