Author(s):

MJ Raja, A Arivuchelvan, A Jagadeeswaran, K Sukumar and S Sivaseelan

Abstract: In poultry, utilization of immunomodulatory drugs are considered as an important solution and accepted widely, since they improve the immunity and decrease the susceptibility to pathogenic diseases along with good management practices including proper vaccination. Vaccination is an alternate, but not an effective measure at all times. Also, search on our traditional herbal medicine has increased in recent times to find out alternatives as immunomodulators against infectious diseases and stressor agents. Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. (Jackfruit) used traditionally for having immunomodulatory, antioxidant and antibacterial properties. The crude leaf powder of Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam at 1% inclusion level in feed was studied to explore the immunomodulatory and growth promoting potentials in immunized and immunosuppressed broilers. The trial was conducted with four control groups as normal, positive (levamisole treated), negative (cyclophosphamide treated) and combined (levamisole and cyclophosphamide) and two treatment groups as Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. leaf powder at 1% level in both immunized and immunosuppressed birds. Weekly assessment of cumulative feed intake, body weight gain, feed Conversion Ratio and HI titre against La Sota antigen was done to assess growth promoting and humoral mediated immunity in broilers. In immunized broilers, this herb showed significant growth promoting and immunomodulatory effect than normal birds and equal to the standard immunostimulant drug – levamisole and even in immunosuppressed group the herb showed better results than immunosuppressant control birds. Significant level of immunomodulatory phytochemicals like isophytol, squalene and cyclotrisiloxane in Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. might be the reason for its promising immunomodulating potentials in turn for its growth promoting potentials in broilers and this study recommends the usage of this herb with further detailed studies.

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