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Abstract
The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of the stems and leaves in ultrafined powder of Astragalus (SLASUP) on immune functions of chickens, and to provide a basis for clinical application of the stems and leaves of Astragalus. Two hundred and fifty Hyaline brown chicks were assigned randomly into five groups at 1 day of age, fifty chickens each. Group I was the control group, receiving no herbs; Group II was the positive herbal Group, birds in this group being given 0.5% powder of Astragalus root in feedstuff (0.5% ARP Group); Group III was the 0.5% SLASUP Group; Group IV was the 1% SLASUP group; and Group V was the 1.5% SLASUP Group. Chickens in the three SLASUP Groups were given SLASUP powder in the feedstuff. All birds in the five groups were immunised on day 7 and 21 with Newcastle disease (ND) vaccine. The blood samples on days 21, 28, 35, 42 and 49 were collected to determinethe ND virus (NDV) antibody titers, the contents of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and the immunoreactive fibronectin (IFN-ᵧ) in the sera of 21, 35, 49-day-old chicken. The results indicate that both 1 and 1.5% SLASUP can improve the immune functions of chickens significantly by increasing the antibody titers, IL-2 and IFN-ᵧ contents. Stems and leaves in ultrafined powder of Astragalus may be clinically useful to boost the immune response in preventing infections such as ND in poultry farms.
Acknowledgments
This study was financially supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Beijing, China (No. 2011BAD34B02).