<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>This investigation was aimed to evaluate the effects of <italic>Silybum marianum</italic> seed, <italic>Thymus vulgaris</italic>, and <italic>Rosmarinus officinalis</italic> powders and their combination in alleviating the risks of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in young broiler chicks. One-day-old Ross 308 male broiler chickens were allocated to 6 experimental groups from d 1 to 21. The experimental dietary groups included: Negative control (NC) received the basal diet, Positive control (PC) containing 2 mg AFB1/kg diet; Positive control + 10 g/kg diet of <italic>Silybum marianum</italic> seed (SMS); Positive control + 10 g/kg diet of <italic>Thymus vulgaris</italic> (TV); Positive control + 5 g/kg diet of <italic>Rosmarinus officinalis</italic> (RO); Positive control + 10 g/kg diet of SMS + 10 g/kg diet of TV + 5 g/kg diet of RO as a blend of herbs (BH). There was no difference between feed intake and body weight gain among the experimental groups (P>0.05). In contrast, the feed conversion rate (FCR) in NC and SMS groups was lower than in other groups (P&lt;0.05). Calcium levels and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) were lower in serum samples, but the activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were higher in PC chickens (P&lt;0.05). Increase in the thigh muscle malondialdehyde (MDA) in chickens fed AFB1 was significantly reduced in the NC, SMS, and BH chickens (P&lt;0.05). Chickens of NC and SMS groups showed the highest response to respiratory burst of heterophil (NBT assay) and lymphocyte proliferation assays (MTT assay) (P&lt;0.05). In conclusion, the addition of studied herbs, especially SMS, to the AFB1 contaminated diet could have a protective effect against aflatoxicosis in broiler chickens.</p></abstract>

This investigation was aimed to evaluate the effects of Silybum marianum seed, Thymus vulgaris, and Rosmarinus officinalis powders and their combination in alleviating the risks of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in young broiler chicks. One-day-old Ross 308 male broiler chickens were allocated to 6 experimental groups from d 1 to 21. The experimental dietary groups included: Negative control (NC) received the basal diet, Positive control (PC) containing 2 mg AFB1/kg diet; Positive control + 10 g/kg diet of Silybum marianum seed (SMS); Positive control + 10 g/kg diet of Thymus vulgaris (TV); Positive control + 5 g/kg diet of Rosmarinus officinalis (RO); Positive control + 10 g/kg diet of SMS + 10 g/kg diet of TV + 5 g/kg diet of RO as a blend of herbs (BH). There was no difference between feed intake and body weight gain among the experimental groups (P>0.05). In contrast, the feed conversion rate (FCR) in NC and SMS groups was lower than in other groups (P<0.05). Calcium levels and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) were lower in serum samples, but the activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were higher in PC chickens (P<0.05). Increase in the thigh muscle malondialdehyde (MDA) in chickens fed AFB1 was significantly reduced in the NC, SMS, and BH chickens (P<0.05). Chickens of NC and SMS groups showed the highest response to respiratory burst of heterophil (NBT assay) and lymphocyte proliferation assays (MTT assay) (P<0.05). In conclusion, the addition of studied herbs, especially SMS, to the AFB1 contaminated diet could have a protective effect against aflatoxicosis in broiler chickens.

The Effect of <italic>Silybum Marianum</italic> Seed, <italic>Thymus Vulgaris,</italic> and <italic>Rosmarinus Officinalis</italic> Powders in Alleviating the Risks of Aflatoxin B1 in Young Broiler Chicks

Department of Poultry Science, Faculty of Agriculture

Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture

Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Annals of Animal Science

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The Effect of  Seed,  and  Powders in Alleviating the Risks of Aflatoxin B1 in Young Broiler Chicks

This investigation was aimed to evaluate the effects of Silybum marianum seed, Thymus vulgaris, and Rosmarinus officinalis powders and their combination in...

The Effect of Silybum Marianum Seed, Thymus Vulgaris, and Rosmarinus Officinalis Powders in Alleviating the Risks of Aflatoxin B1 in Young Broiler Chicks

Published Online: Feb 04, 2022

Page range: 173 - 187

Received: Sep 04, 2020

Accepted: Apr 15, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/aoas-2021-0027

Keywords
antioxidant, broiler immune system, herbal medicine, mycotoxin, performance

© 2022 Hamid Raei et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The Effect of Silybum Marianum Seed, Thymus Vulgaris, and Rosmarinus Officinalis Powders in Alleviating the Risks of Aflatoxin B1 in Young Broiler Chicks

Published Online: Feb 04, 2022

Page range: 173 - 187

Received: Sep 04, 2020

Accepted: Apr 15, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/aoas-2021-0027

Keywordsantioxidant, broiler immune system, herbal medicine, mycotoxin, performance

© 2022 Hamid Raei et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
antioxidant, broiler immune system, herbal medicine, mycotoxin, performance