Hawthorn flavonoid extract can use as an effective herbal drug to prevent pulmonary hypertension in broiler chickens

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of hawthorn flavonoid extract (HFE) to prevent pulmonary hypertension in broiler chickens. A total of 225 day-old unsexed broiler chicks (Ross308) were assigned to 3 treatments with five replicates in 15 floor pens randomly. Experimental groups were provided by adding 0, 0.1 and 0.2 mL of hawthorn flavonoid extract per liter of chicken's drinking water. The results showed that HFE significantly (P<0.05) decreased the heart weight, RV: TV ratio, and percentage of birds with PHS compared to the control group. In conclusion, HFE could effectively use as an herbal drug to prevent pulmonary hypertension in chickens.