325 Pakistan Veterinary Journal ISSN: 0253-8318 (PRINT), 2074-7764 (ONLINE) Accessible at: www.pvj.com.pk Impact of Different Levels of Silver Nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) on Performance, Oxidative Enzymes and Blood Parameters in Broiler Chicks Farhad Ahmadi Sanandaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran Corresponding author: k_a183@ymail.com ARTICLE HISTORY ABSTRACT Received: Revised: Accepted: July 14, 2011 August 17, 2011 November 25, 2011 Key words: Broiler Chicks Blood Parameters Growth Performance Oxidative Enzymes Silver Nanoparticles 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). ©2011 PVJ. All rights reserved To Cite This Article: Ahmadi F, 2012. Impact of different levels of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) on performance, oxidative enzymes and blood parameters in broiler chicks. Pak Vet J, 32(3): 325-328. INTRODUCTION In the recent years, nanotechnology had rapid progress in the most of different scientific branches and showed the effects on all parts of human, animal, environmental, and industrial life. One of the substances used in nano-formulation is silver nano-particle. It has been used since ancient times for jewelry, utensils, monetary currency, dental alloy, photography, explosives, etc (Chen and Schlesinger, 2008). Until the introduction of antibiotics, it was also used for its antiseptic activity, specifically in the management of open wounds and burns. Due to its antimicrobial properties, silver has also been incorporated in filters to purify drinking water and clean swimming pool water (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 1990). Particle morphologies include spheres, cubes, wires and multi facets, normally within a size range of <100 nm. Silver nano particles have been considered as antibacterial made by human and could be used as an additive instead of antibiotics due to their antibacterial properties and their adaptability to biological systems (Kermanshahi et al., 2006). Sawosza et al. (2007) studied the effect of different levels of colloidal Ag-NPs (0, 5, 15 and 25 mg/kg) on intestinal microbial flora and duodenal morphology in Quails. The result of this study showed that the effect of silver nano-particles on the number of E. coli and other intestinal bacteria were not significant. Grodzik and Sawosza (2006) evaluated effect of silver nanoparticles on the fetal growth and morphology of bursa of fabricius. They showed that silver nano-particles with concentration of 10 ppm have no effect on the growth of chicken embryos, but the number and size of the lymph follicles were decreased (Grodzik and Sawosza, 2006). Silver nanoparticles have been shown to damage liver cells (Hussein et al., 2005). The toxic effect or heavy metal poisoning is defined as “any functional or morphologic change in the body produced by an ingested, injected, inhaled or absorbed drug, chemical, or biological agent” (Hussein, 2005). Colloidal silver is a colloidal state of silver-containing particles in RESEARCH ARTICLE