Assessment of liver function status of chickens (Gallus gallus domestica) exposed to factory sites in Nnewi, Anambra State, South Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Objective: Nnewi is a growing industrial town in Nigeria and the industries are sited very close to human habitation. Exposure to industrial effluents come with deleterious consequences. The purpose of this study was to investigate the liver function status of chickens exposed to these factory sites in Nnewi Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A total of twenty-nine (29) chicks were allowed to feed from the surrounding homeland of the factory until they aged between four (4) and five (5) months as adult birds (chickens) for the study. The chickens were sacrificed to obtain the blood for analyses. Five (5) ml of blood sample was collected from the heart into plain containers and the serum obtained was used for the estimation of biochemical parameters. Total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), total bilirubin (TB), direct bilirubin (DB), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were assayed using standard laboratory procedures. The data obtained was subjected to statistical analysis using Students t-test using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) (version 16) software. Statistical significance was tested at p Results: The mean serum TP, ALB, TB and DB levels as well as ALP activity in chickens reared around factory sites were not significantly different when compared with the control chickens (p>0.05), however, the mean serum activities of AST and ALT were significantly elevated in the factory exposed chickens than those of the control chicken (p Conclusion: This study found a possible compromise between the liver enzymes and the factory environment which could result in poor growth of the chickens. It is recommended that factories be sited away from the reach of the chickens. Keywords: Industrialization, Factory site, Liver, Protein, Bilirubin, Aspartate aminotransferase, Alanine aminotransferase, Alkaline phosphatase, Chickens (Gallus gallus domestica), Nnewi.