effect of teucrium (teucrium polium l.) and thyme (thymus vulgaris l.) on some blood metabolites in broiler chickens

Herbs with hypolipidemic properties can suggest as proper alternatives for antibiotics. this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of teucrium (teucrium polium l.) and thyme (thymus vulgaris l.) on some blood metabolites in broiler chickens. two hundred one-day-old (ross 308) male broilers were randomly allocated to four groups, five replications and 10 birds per each treatment. the birds were reared on litter for 28 days. treated birds received feed containing teucrium and thyme seeds for 4 weeks. teucrium seed (200 mg/kg), thyme seed (200 mg/kg) and blend of teucrium and thyme seeds (200+200 mg/kg) were added to diets. a treatment without any additive was considered as a control group. serum total protein, globulin, albumin, glucose, total cholesterol (tc), triglycerides (tg), low-density lipoprotein (ldl) and high-density lipoprotein (hdl), liver enzymes activity including aspartate aminotransferase (ast), alanine transaminase (alt) and gamma-glutamyltransferase (ggt) and heterophil/lymphocyte ratio were measured. combination of teucrium and thyme seeds, significantly increased total protein, globulin, albumin, glucose and hdl, and decreased tc, ldl and tg compared to the control group. in addition, the lymphocyte and heterophil counts were markedly increased in teucrium and thyme seeds group compared to the control group. there was no significant difference among the groups regarding ast, alt and ggt. the results of the present study showed that teucrium and thyme seeds in diet, particularly their combination, improve some blood metabolites level and decrease harmful fatty acids and they can be used as lipid-lowering compounds in broilers nutrition.