Can Broiler Chicken Growth, Immunity, and Meat Quality be Enhanced by Salvia mirzayanii?

Many natural phytobiotics of medicinal herbs possess antibiotic and radical scavenger properties for poultry species as nutritional additives. A bioassay study was conducted to evaluate the potential effects of Salvia mirzayanii Rech.f. Esfand. (SM) on some physiological responses in broiler chickens including adaptive immune responses, blood parameters, and meat quality. A total of 200, one-day-old broiler chicks received five experimental diets containing 0.0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.0% SM in diet for a 42 d assay. Consumption of 0.50% and 0.75% of SM, were able to produce higher antibodies against sheep red blood cells and the Newcastle disease virus (P ≤ 0.05). A substantial increase was observed in antibody titers against bronchitis virus in birds fed SM compared to those birds not receiving SM (P ≤ 0.05). Using 0.50% SM in the diet increased skin thickness after dinitrochlorobenzene challenge (P ≤ 0.05). The use of 0.50% SM in the diet increased the relative weight of the bursa of Fabricius (P ≤ 0.05). The blood concentration of triglyceride, cholesterol, total protein, and albumin was maximized using SM in diet, while blood glucose decreased by increasing dietary levels of SM (P ≤ 0.05). Meat malondialdehyde concentration has been minimized at 0.25%, 0.50% and 0.75% SM in diet (P ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, SM consumption did not have a positive effect on the growth performance of broilers, but the use of its proper level in the diet improved the humoral and cellular immune responses, as well as meat quality.