Impact of Different Levels of Silver Nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) on Performance, Oxidative Enzymes and Blood Parameters in Broiler Chicks

This research was carried out to investigate the effects of nano-silver (ag-nps) on traits of productivity, oxidative stress state and some of blood parameters in broiler chicks. a total of 240, one-day-old male broiler chicks (ross 308) were allocated in a completely randomized design into four groups containing 60 birds, four replicates and 15 birds in each experimental pen. basal diet supplemented with different levels of ag-nps (diameter 14±0.8 nm) was given throughout research (1- 42 days). experimental diets included: 0 (control), 20, 40, and 60 ppm ag-nps/kg diet. at the end of study period, one bird with closest weight to the mean of any treatment was selected. blood samples were collected, centrifuged and removed serum stored at -20°c until analysis. then birds slaughtered and spleen, thymus, and bursa of fabricius removed and their relative weights calculated. the results showed that nano-silver has no significant effect on growth performance but a decrease was found in feed efficiency. relative bursa weight had significantly decreased in compared with control treatment (p<0.05). lowest weight among treatments observed in treatment that supplemented with 60 ppm nano-silver. ag- nps had significantly effected on oxidative stress enzymes activity among treatment in comparison to control group (p<0.01). blood parameters such as alt, ast, alp, tp, albumin, gama globulin, triglyceride, and cholesterol were significantly affected by using nano-silver in broiler chicks (p<0.05).