Abstract

Botanical products supplemented with vitamin C plays vital roles in augmenting the functioning the
immune cells and organs through the synergistic activities of the phytochemicals and vitamin C. This
study was carried out to evaluate the tendency of modulating the activities of T-lymphocytes in
broiler chicks using plant supplements. Equal concentration (100 mg/mL) of extracts from
Azadirachta indica leaves (Neem plant), Curcuma longa roots (turmeric) and Allium sativum
rhizomes (garlic) were mixed with equal concentration (100 mg/mL) of vitamin C to prepare
NeemViC (NE), TumeriViC (TU), and GarliViC (GA), respectively. A 0.5 mL/100 g of Baphia
nitida leaf extract (BN), GA, NE, and TU each was orally administered to 3 weeks old broiler chicks, and assessed the delayed type hypersensitivity and population of T cells of the blood samples drawn
from the chicks after 11 days. There was significant (P<0.05) increase in delayed type
hypersensitivity (DTH) responses among the experimented chicks as compared to the control group, of which BN showed the highest activity. The maximum DTH responses were elicited after 24 h, but
retarded after 48 h and 72 h. There increase in the population of absolute lymphocytes of the
experimented chicks as compared to the control groups, of which TU recorded the maximum and
significant (P<0.05) counts. Therefore, the plant supplements showed pronounced increase in DTH
responses and population of lymphocytes, of which TU was most effective.