Summary: | Introduction: The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of subchronic administration of different levels of Aloe Vera gel on some biochemical and immunological factors in the chicken model.
Material and Methods: Two hundred and forty-one-day old Ross 308 (male and female) broilers were used on a completely randomized design in 5 groups with 4 replicates, and each replicate was consisting of 12 broilers. The groups included one control group (basal diet) and four experimental groups with basal diet mixed with different levels of Aloe Vera gel (1%, 2% and 3%) plus virginiamycin antibiotic.
Results: No significant difference between experimental groups was observed in serum albumin level and ALP activity on days 14, 28 and 42. On the day 14, the variation of albumin and total protein levels were significant. In the days 28 and 42, the level of blood glucose in the group receiving 3% Aloe Vera and in the group receiving 1% Aloe Vera on the day 28 was decreased significantly. On the day 28, the count of lymphocytes was raised significantly in the group receiving 3% Aloe Vera. Also in this day, the most count of heterophils was found in the control and virginiamycin groups. On the day 42, the significant rise of lymphocyte count was observed in all groups receiving Aloe Vera gel. On the day 28, the level of antibody titers against sheep red blood cell was raised significantly.
Conclusion: Daily supplementation with 1% Aloe Vera gel markedly potentiates cellular and humeral immunity in chickens and can be used as a food additive in order to prevent infections
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