Influence of Silymarin on the Humoral Immunity of Lambs Lacaune Breed during the Thermoneutral, Hot, and Cold Seasons

Abstract

Infectious diseases cause devastating economic losses in the sheep industry. The current study aimed to evaluate blood serum concentrations of lysozyme, gamma interferon, immunoglobulin G, immunoglobulin M, cortisol, serotonin, the activity of the alternative pathway of complement activation (APCA), and β-lysine activity in lambs, whose rations were supplemented with 2 g/kg Silymarin for 60 days – from the 15th day to the 75th day after birth in manure-pasture cultivation during a thermoneutral, hot summer and cold winter period. The lambs were divided into two groups – control and experimental. To the experimental animals, after 15 days of age, Silymarin was added to the standard concentrated feed, at a dose of 2 g/kg feed. It was found that Silymarin reliably increases the values of the investigated indicators in all three annual seasons. It could be concluded that the studied Silymarin possesses an important immunomodulating potential in lambs, which could improve their health.