Description

Emblica (E.) officinalis is extensively used in Ayurvedic and Chinese herbal medicine. Its fruit is a rich source of different bioactive molecules including alkaloids, carbohydrates, polyphenolics, amino acids, vitamins, tannic acid, ellagotannin, gallic acid, emblicanin A & B, ellagic acid and flavonoids each with different pharmacological activities. In the present study, tannins extracted from E. officinalis were used to investigate its effects on the humoral immune response and protective efficacy against Eimeria infection in chickens. Results revealed significantly higher humoral immune responses in chickens administered with E. officinalis derived tannins. In challenge experiment with Eimeria species, chickens administered with tannins showed lower mean oocysts per gram of droppings and milder lesion scores as compared to those of control group. Further, higher daily weight gains were also recorded in chickens administered with tannins. In conclusion, tannins derived from E. officinalis may be a potential and valuable candidate to stimulate the immune responses and can be used successfully as an immunotherapeutic agent against coccidiosis in industrial broiler chickens