Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Effect of natural growth promoters on immunity, and biochemical and haematological parameters of broiler chickens

Syed Muddassar Hussain Gilani¹ , Sitwat Zehra², Faiz-ul-Hassan ³, Saddia Galani², Asma Ashraf⁴

¹Department of Agriculture and Agribusiness Management; ²Karachi Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (KIBGE), University of Karachi, Karachi; ³Institute of Animal Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad; ⁴Department of Zoology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan.

For correspondence:- Syed Gilani Email: gilani1294@gmail.com Tel:+23218237926

Accepted: 19 March 2018 Published: 30 April 2018

Citation: Gilani SM, Zehra S, F, Galani S, Ashraf A. Effect of natural growth promoters on immunity, and biochemical and haematological parameters of broiler chickens. Trop J Pharm Res 2018; 17(4):627-633 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v17i4.9

© 2018 The authors.
This is an Open Access article that uses a funding model which does not charge readers or their institutions for access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) and the Budapest Open Access Initiative (http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/read), which permit unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited..

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy of promising alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters (organic acids, phytobiotics, and their combinations) as feed additives in poultry feed.

Methods: Different feed treatments were formulated with organic acids, phytobiotics and their combinations, and their effects on blood profile, serum enzymes and immunity parameters were evaluated in broilers at 21 and 42 days of age.

Results: Cholesterol, triglyceride and HDL levels of the 21- and 42-day old broilers were significantly (p < 0.05) affected by the feed additives. The effect of albumin and albumin/globulin ratios varied significantly (p < 0.05) from that of the control group at 42 days of age. Haematological analysis did not show significant changes (p > 0.05) in parameters except hematocrit, RBC, MCH, MCHC, WBC at age 21 days. However, among the serum enzymes assayed, only gamma-glutamyl transferase activity was altered for the modified feed group.

Conclusion: These results suggest that supplementation with organic acids and phytobiotics can be used as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters without interfering with the overall health and performance of broilers.

Keywords: Broilers, Antibiotic growth promoters, Phytobiotics, Organic acids, Biochemical parameters