This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of diet containing inclusion of carvacrol, menthol and thymol at 400, 200 and 200 mg/kg, respectively, on performance, cell-mediated and humoral immune response using 96 broiler chicks in a completely randomized block design in 12 replicates of 2 birds each. Feed intake reduced in birds received diet containing menthol during days 14 to 42 of age (P<0.05). No changein weight gain and feed conversion ratio were observed in birds fed with supplemented diets compared with control birds (P>0.05). Mean antibody titer against infectious Bursal and Newcastle viruses was not differ for the chicks received diets supplemented with carvacrol, menthol and thymol at day 42 of age (P>0.05). Proportional weight of immune organs including the bursa of fabricius, spleen and thymus was not affected by the addition of monoterpens in diet at day 42 of age (P>0.05). The percentage of heterophils in blood was lower in birds grown on menthol-added diets than in control chicks (P<0.05). The experimental diets reduced the inflammation induced by phytohemagglutinin (PHA) injection at 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours after injection during days 32 to 35 of age (P <0.05). Based on dermal inflammation caused by PHA injection, carvacrol, menthol and thymol did not stimulate cellular immunity but showed significant anti-inflammatory activity.
Type of Study:
Research |
Subject:
تغذیه طیور Received: 2018/07/23 | Revised: 2020/02/12 | Accepted: 2019/10/2 | Published: 2020/01/21