Asian Journal of Research in Biosciences

The impact of pawpaw (Carica papaya) leaves extract on some biochemical markers; organ and carcass traits of broiler chickens in Nsukka- Nigeria were investigated. Searching for a non-conventional and less competitive plant feed sources such as pawpaw leaf extract to serve as an alternative in poultry nutrition will solve the problem of scarcity and high cost of convectional feed sources facing poultry production today. One hundred and fifty day old Anak broiler strains of mixed sex at two weeks of age were used for the study. The birds after stabilizing them together for two weeks were weighed and assigned to five dietary treatments with 30 birds per treatment in a completely randomized experimental design. Each treatment had 5 replicates with 6 birds per replicate. Treatments were as follows: WV (control) = water + vitalyte, PLE20= Water + 20 ml pawpaw leaf extract, PLE40=Water +40 ml pawpaw leaf extract, PLE60= Water +60ml pawpaw leaf extract, PLE80= Water+80 ml pawpaw leaf extract. The birds were fed ad libitum. The following serum biochemical indices were investigated: triglyceride, high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein, calcium, phosphorous, glucose, albumin, serum total protein, creatinine, urea, globulin and Cholesterol. Statistical analysis of the results of the serum biochemical indices showed that pawpaw leaf extract caused high (P<0.01) significant effect on triglyceride, high density lipoprotein, calcium, and serum total protein values among the treatment groups, while the values of phosphorous, albumin, creatinine and cholesterol were also significant (p<0.05). There were no significant differences in the values of urea, low density lipoprotein and globulin among the treatments. Serum biochemical indices (triglyceride, high density lipoprotein, calcium, serum total protein, phosphorous, albumin, creatinine and cholesterol) values significantly increased as the   level of pawpaw leaf extract increased in the water. Carcass and organ parameters investigated (thigh, shank, drumstick, breast, head, neck, wing eviscerated, dressed, heart, liver, lung, kidney, provetriculus, small intestine, crop, gizzard and spleen weights) were not significant  (p<0.05, p<0.01). In conclusion, pawpaw leaf extract had significant effects only on the serum biochemical indices of the birds, it was therefore, recommended for use in broiler production but with lower dose of the extract because of the increased value of cholesterol recorded among the treatment groups.