HISTOPATHOLOGY OF BROILER CHICKENS ADMINISTERED Rolfe (Daniellia oliveri) LEAF EXTRACT AS AN ANTIBIOTIC ALTERNATIVE

Abstract

Phytochemicals are non-nutritive plant chemicals with a wide therapeutic potential of protecting the body against numerous infections and diseases. They play specific pharmacological effects such as: anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidants, antifungal, hepato-protective, hypolipidemic and immune-modulatory roles. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Daniellia oliveri leaf extract (DOEx) on the histopathological changes in the liver of broiler chicken. 150 1-day-old (Ross 308) broiler chicks were randomly divided into 5 groups of 30 birds each. The experiment lasted for 56 days and feed was offered ad libitum. Treatment 1 (T1) was fed basal diet + 1.25 g/liter of water while T2, T3, T4 and T5 were fed Daniellia oliveri leaf extract (DOEx) at 20, 40, 60 and 80 ml of liter of water. Histopathology was carried out on the liver of birds at the end of the experiment. Results obtained reveals that liver of birds in T1 was characterized by congestion of portal blood vessels, coagulative necrosis, abnormal hepatic lobules and edema while T2-T5 showed normal central vein, hepatic lobules and sinusoids. It can be concluded that Daniellia oliveri leaf extract (DOEx) could be fed to broilers up to 80 ml per liter of water without causing any negative effect on the health of birds and could be used to bridge the gap between food safety and livestock production