Abstract

Abstract
The present study was designed to evaluate the pretreatment protectant effect of Betaine against possible deleterious effects of florfenicol (FFC) in broiler chicks. A total of 120 broiler chicks were allocated into 4 groups (each of 30 chicks). Group one was kept as a control, while group two was administered with betaine (40mg/kg b.wt. orally from 16 to 20 days of age). Group three was administered with toxic dose of FFC (60 mg/ kg b.wt. orally from 18 to 22 days of age). Group four was co-administered with Betaine with FFC by the same previous doses on the same treatment periods. The biochemical analysis of hepatic and renal indices and histopathological examination were performed to evaluate the protectant effects of betaine on possible FFC-induced hepatorenal toxicity. Results emphasized that large dose of FFC induced hepatorenal toxicity in broilers and pre-treatment with betaine mitigates FFC-adverse effects by enhancement of hepatorenal indices and histopathological pictures of those organs.

Key words: Florfenicol, betaine, hepatic toxicity and broiler chicks