Changes in organ nonprotein sulfhydryl and glutathione concentrations during acute and chronic administration of inorganic lead to chicks

The effects of dietary and injected lead (Pb) on organ nonprotein sulfhydryl (NPSH) and glutathione (GSH) concentrations in the chick were studied. Lead acetate·3H₂O was administered either in the diet for 3 wk at 2000 ppm Pb or by intraperitoneal (ip) injection of 3-wkold chicks with 52 mg Pb/100 g body wt. In Exp. 1, NPSH concentrations in liver and kidney were increased by both dietary and injected Pb in comparison to chicks not receiving Pb. Thigh muscle NPSH was decreased by injected Pb, whereas dietary Pb had no effect. In Expt. 2, whole blood and plasma NPSH were measured at 0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 h following ip Pb injection. Both whole blood and plasma NPSH were increased by 30 min. Whole blood NPSH concentrations plateaued at 30 min, and plasma NPSH continued to rise for 2 h. In Expt. 3, injected Pb increased hepatic NPSH, but not GSH concentrations. The ratio of GSH/NPSH was therefore lowered. The incorporation of [1-¹⁴C]glycine into hepatic GSH was stimulated by injected Pb. Buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), an inhibitor of GSH synthesis, reduced hepatic NPSH and [¹⁴C]glycine incorporation in Pb-treated chicks to below control (non-Pb injected) values. In Expt. 4, dietary Pb fed for 3 wk increased the hepatic concentrations of both NPSH and GSH such that the ratio of GSH/NPSH was unchanged in comparison to chicks not fed Pb. The data suggest that the initial response to acute Pb intoxication may involve a mobilization of nonprotein thiols via the interorgan translocation system for GSH. Such a response would help to maintain adequate levels of GSH in organs crucial to detoxification.     

Development of a Procedure to Determine Standardized Mineral Availabilities in Soybean Meal for Broiler Chicks

The objective of this study was to develop a procedure for estimating the standardized mineral (calcium, Ca; phosphorus, P; copper, Cu; manganese, Mn; zinc, Zn) availabilities (SMA) in soybean meal for broilers. In experiment 1, twelve 24-day-old male chicks were used to determine the length of the pre-experimental fasting period needed to empty the total tract of feed residues. Feed was removed and excreta samples were collected for 12, 24, 36 or 48 h after feed withdrawal, respectively. The result indicated that birds were fasted for at least 24 h after feed withdrawal in order to ensure that no previous feed residues remained in the digestive tract of chicks. In a subsequent experiment, forty-eight 24-day-old male chicks were used to determine SMA in soybean meal. Chicks were fasted for 24 h and then fed mineral-free or soybean meal diet for 4 h, and excreta samples were collected until 24 or 48 h after feed withdrawal. The results showed that the extended excreta collection time of 48 h after feed withdrawal was adequate for estimating SMA. The standardized availability values of Ca, P, Cu, Mn or Zn in soybean meal were 51.14%, 50.22%, 36.28%, 30.79% or 49.66%, respectively. In experiment 3, a similar bioassay was conducted with forty-eight 36-day-old male chicks to measure SMA in the same soybean meal. The standardized availability values of P (51.59%), Cu (36.37%), Mn (31.94%) or Zn (43.37%) were similar (P > 0.12) to the results of experiment 2 except for Ca (41.49%), indicating that the age of birds had no effect on the standardized availabilities of P, Cu, Mn or Zn in soybean meal. The results from this study suggested that this simple and rapid procedure could be used to determine SMA in feedstuffs (e.g., soybean meal) for broiler chicks.     

lipid peroxidation in liver of mice administrated with nickel chloride

The relationship between Ni-induced hepatic lipid peroxidation (LPO) and the concentrations of Ni and trace elements was investigated in male ICR mice. The protective effects of antioxidants were also examined. Hepatic LPO and the concentrations of Ni, Fe, Cu, and Zn in the liver were enhanced after an ip injection of nickel chloride (NiCl₂). Dose-response studies were conducted on male mice with different groups being injected with 50, 85, and 170 μmol Ni/kg. LPO increased significantly in a dose-dependent manner. In time-course studies, mice were administrated NiCl₂ (170 μmol Ni/kg) and killed at intervals of 6, 12, 24, and 48 h after injection. Both LPO and the accumulation of Ni, Fe, Cu, and Zn in the liver showed a significantly positive time-course relationship after NiCl₂ injection. At 1 h and 24 h after a single ip injection of 170 μmol Ni/kg, the mice were given an ip injection of ascorbic acid (vit C), glutathione (GSH), and selenium (Se). Vit C and GSH significantly decreased both the level of hepatic LPO and the concentration of Ni in the liver, but did not decrease the accumulation of Fe, Cu, and Zn. However, LPO in the experimental group of mice was different significantly from that in the control group. In conclusion, the results suggest that Ni-induced hepatic LPO may result from increasing the amounts of Ni, Fe, and Cu, since these elements are involved in the generation of hydroxyl radical by inducing the Fenton reaction, thus instigating the Ni-mediated hepatic LPO. The protective effects of vit C and GSH in hepatic LPO result not only from removing the oxygen reactive species, but also from decreasing the Ni concentration.     

Effect of zinc supplementation on metallothionein,copper, and zinc concentration in various tissues of copper-loaded rats

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of Zn administration on metallothionein concentrations in the liver, kidney, and intestine of copper-loaded rats. Male CD rats were fed a diet containing 12 mg Cu and 67 mg Zn/kg body wt. They were divided into either acute or chronic experimental protocols. Rats undergoing acute experiments received daily ip injections of either Cu (3 mg/kg body wt) or Zn (10 mg/kg body wt) for 3 d. Chronic experiments were carried out on rats receiving Cu ip injections on d 1, 2, 3, 10, 17, and 24, Cu injections plus a Zn-supplemented diet containing 5 g Zn/kg solid diet, or a Zn-supplemented diet alone. Rats injected Zn or Cu had increased MT concentrations in liver and kidney. Zn produced the most important effects and the liver was the most responsive organ. Rats fed a Zn-supplemented diet had significantly higher MT concentrations in liver and intestine with respect to controls. Increased MT synthesis in the liver may contribute to copper detoxification; the hypothesis of copper entrapment in enterocytes cannot be confirmed.     

Changes in plasma zinc,copper, iron,and hepatic metallothionein in adjuvant-induced arthritis treated with cyclosporin

The early changes in hepatic metallothionein (MT) and plasma zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and iron (Fe) were investigated during the induction of adjuvant (AJ) arthritis in rats in conjunction with cyclosporin (CSA) treatment. Plasma Zn decreased after AJ injection (60% of control values at 8 h), and this was associated with a 4.5-fold increase in hepatic MT at 8 h. Plasma Zn was lowest at 16 h (40% of control), whereas hepatic MT concentrations increased to a maximum of 20-fold at 16 h. Changes in plasma Fe paralleled those of Zn, whereas plasma Cu levels were increased. Plasma metal and hepatic MT concentrations returned toward normal from d 1–7. At d 14, when marked paw swelling was apparent, hepatic MT and plasma Cu were again increased and plasma Zn decreased. Administration of CsA decreased MT induction in rats injected with AJ and also caused a marked recovery in plasma Zn and Fe levels. These changes were small but significant even in the early stages (up to 24 h) after AJ injection and were followed by a sustained improvement in all parameters, corresponding to the nonappearance of clinical arthropathy in CsA-treated rats. TNF-α and IL-6 production by peritoneal macrophages isolated from AJ-injected rats was significantly decreased by CsA treatment at d 7 and 14. The inhibition of hepatic MT induction during acute and chronic inflammation by cyclosporin emphasizes the role of the immune system in altered metal homeostasis in inflammation.     

Estrogen induces hyperlipidemia in fasted chicks

To determine whether the estrogen-induced hyperlipidemia is affected by fasting, male growing chicks were administered subcutaneously a single dose of 17 beta-estradiol (25 mg/kg body wt), and the hormone treatment lasted for 2 days with or without feed (Experiment 1). In the second experiment, chicks were initially fasted for 1 or 3 days, and then treated with the same dosage of 17 beta-estradiol as in Experiment 1 for 2 days without feed. Plasma and liver lipids, and the activities of hepatic malic enzyme, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and hormone-sensitive lipase in the adipose tissue were determined. Compared with fed control chicks, estrogen treatment in fed birds resulted in a marked elevation of plasma lipids, especially triglyceride during the 2-day period (137 vs 2263 mg/dl). In fasted chicks, the present finding that estrogen also induced a marked hyperlipidemia is noteworthy. Upon estrogen treatment (Experiment 1), the level of plasma triglyceride in fasted birds increased about 16 times over that of the fasted control group (133 vs 2093 mg/dl). Even in chicks fasted for 5 days (Experiment 2), estrogen treatment resulted in a persistent hypertriglyceridemia (75 vs 1369 mg/dl). In fed chicks, estrogen treatment also induced a fatty liver with massive accumulation of triglyceride, but the liver of estrogen-treated/fasted chicks appeared to be normal. In both fed and fasted chicks, malic enzyme was found to be the major NADPH producing enzyme in the liver. Upon fasting, both malic enzyme and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activities decreased significantly (P less than 0.05). In fed chicks, the total activities of both enzymes increased with estrogen treatment, whereas the effect of hormone on these enzymes was less obvious in fasted chicks. The hormone-sensitive lipase activity in the adipose tissue was much lower in fed chicks compared with that of fasted birds (0.15 vs 0.33 nmol of oleic acid released/min/mg protein). Estrogen treatment in fed chicks had no effect on the hormone-sensitive lipase activity, but its activity was enhanced by the hormone treatment in fasted chicks. The present finding that hyperlipidemia persisted in estrogenized chicks during the fasting seems to indicate the complex nature of this hormonal influence on lipid metabolism.     

Effects of Chronic Cadmium Poisoning on Zn, Cu, Fe, Ca, and Metallothionein in Liver and Kidney of Rats

An experiment was conducted to invest effects of chronic cadmium poisoning on Zn, Cu, Fe, Ca, and metallothionein gene expression and protein synthesis in liver and kidney in rats. Forty rats, 6?weeks old, were randomly allocated into two groups. A group was given CdCl(2) (1?mg/KgCd(2+)) by intraperitoneal injection once a day. The other group was treated with normal saline in the same way. Liver and kidney were collected for analysis at the end of the third week. Results showed that Cd exposure increased Cd (P?相似文献   

Effects of rat and chicken calcitonin gene-related peptides (CGRP) upon calcium metabolism in chicks

In vivo effects of intravenously injected chicken(c-) and rat(r-) calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) upon plasma total (Ca_t), ionized (Ca_i) calcium, inorganic phosphate (P_i) and clearance of an acutely administered ⁴⁵Ca label have been examined in chicks.

Both peptides were hypercalcaemic in fasted chicks, unlike previously reported hypocalcaemic response in mammals. r-CGRP was hypercalcaemic at doses of both 0.26 and 1.31 nmol/100 g body wt, the lower dose produced a significant elevation of Ca_t one hour after injection into 12-h-fasted chicks, the upper dose had a similar effect at 20 min. Ca_i was also non-significantly elevated by r-CGRP. P_i was slightly increased by r-CGRP at both doses, 20 and 60 min after injection.

c-CGRP produced a dose (0.26–4.17 nmol/100 g body wt) dependent elevation of Ca_t and Ca_i in 22-h-fasted chicks. A greater response was however seen in fed animals. Peak responses were observed 45 min after injection. c-CGRP (1.04 nmol/100 g body wt) caused a significant decline in plasma P_i (P < 0.05) in fasted chicks. P_i was elevated in control fed animals compared with fasted controls. c-CGRP (1.04 nmol/100 g) did not effect plasma P_i in fed chicks.

Whilst both peptides elevated plasma Ca, clearance of an acutely administered ⁴⁵Ca label from plasma was greater in both r-CGRP treated 12-h-fasted chicks and c-CGRP treated 22-h-fasted chicks. In contrast, the rate of ⁴⁵Ca clearance in fed chicks was not affected by c-CGRP treatment.

The differential effects of these peptides upon plasma ⁴⁵Ca clearance and other plasma parameters of Ca metabolism, suggest a complex mode of action of the peptide upon avian Ca homeostasis, possibly involving direct actions upon kidney and bone.     

Effects of polyphenol-rich plant products from grape or hop as feed supplements on iron,zinc and copper status in piglets

Polyphenol-rich plant products as feed supplements have been shown to exert beneficial effects on feed efficiency in piglets. However, tannins as components of polyphenol-rich plant products are able to reduce the absorption of various trace elements. The present study investigated the effect of two polyphenol-rich dietary supplements, grape seed and grape marc meal extract (GME) and spent hops (SH), on iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) status in piglets supplied adequately with those trace elements. A trial with three groups of piglets which received a Control diet or the same diet supplemented with either 1% GME or 1% SH over a period of 4 weeks was performed. Concentrations of Fe, Zn and Cu in plasma, total iron binding capacity and saturation of transferrin in plasma did not differ between the three groups. Piglets fed the diet supplemented with SH showed no differences in the concentrations of Fe, Zn and Cu in the liver in comparison to the Control group. Piglets fed the diets supplemented with GME showed slightly lower concentrations of Zn and Cu in the liver than Control piglets (p < 0.05); however, concentrations of both elements remained in the physiological range. Overall, this study shows that the polyphenol-rich plant products GME and SH had marginal effect on the status of Fe, Zn and Cu in piglets.     

Effect of copper on antioxidant ability and nutrient metabolism in broiler chickens stimulated by lipopolysaccharides

The aim of the experiment was to investigate the interaction between Cu intake, inflammatory challenge and oxidative stress in broiler chickens. Furthermore, it was tested whether plasma ceruloplasmin (Cp) could be a sensible parameter for dietary Cu. One hundred forty-four day old chickens were raised on a basal control diet without added copper (Group Cu-6.5, basal Cu content 6.5 mg/kg diet) or a diet supplemented with Cu at 8 or 50 mg/kg (Groups Cu-14.5 and Cu-56.5, respectively) with four replicates of 12 animals for each treatment. Starting on day 21, chickens were injected intraperitoneally with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) once a day for 3 days. Before this challenge, Group Cu-14.5 had the lowest gain and the feed to gain ratio was the highest. After injection of LPS, however, chickens of Group Cu-14.5 had the best zoo-technical performance. For chickens of Group Cu-6.5, LPS injection resulted in elevated rectal temperature, and lower erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (CuZn-SOD) activity, compared with the other groups. LPS injection increased plasma uric acid in Group Cu-6.5 significantly, but was without influence in Group Cu-56.5. At all Cu-levels, LPS injection increased erythrocyte CuZn-SOD activity and decreased thiobarbituric acid reacting substances. No significant difference in plasma Cp was found in chickens fed different dietary Cu. LPS injection significantly increased plasma Cp in Group Cu-56.5. The results suggest that varying dietary Cu levels seem to modulate the parameters involved in immunological responses and oxidant stress and that plasma Cp is not a reliable parameter for dietary Cu.     

Effects of Dietary Selenium, Vitamin E, and Their Combination on Growth, Serum Metabolites, and Antioxidant Defense System in Skeletal Muscle of Broilers Under Heat Stress

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary vitamin E, selenium (Se), and a combination of the two, on the performance, serum metabolites and oxidative stability of skeletal muscle of broilers during heat stress. The broilers raised in either a thermoneutral (23.9°C constant) or heat stress (23.9°C to 37°C cycling) environment were assigned to 6 dietary treatments (0, 0.5, or 1 mg/kg Se; 125 and 250 mg/kg vitamin E; or 0.5 mg/kg Se plus 125 mg/kg vitamin E) from 1 to 49 days of age. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected from chicks, the chicks sacrificed, and pectoralis superficialis muscle was used for measurement of malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and enzyme activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The heat-stressed chicks consumed less feed, gained less weight, and had higher feed conversion ratio when compared to thermoneutral chicks (P<0.05). Serum concentrations of iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) were decreased by heat stress (P<0.05), whereas the serum concentrations of copper (Cu), glucose, and uric acid were significantly increased under heat stress (P<0.05). The chicks that received supplemental of vitamin E exhibited significantly higher serum concentrations of Zn (P<0.05) and significantly lower concentrations of Cu, glucose, and uric acid (P<0.05) when exposed to heat stress. Dietary Se also caused a significant decrease in serum glucose, uric acid, and Cu concentrations of heat-stressed broilers (P<0.05), but had no significant effect on Zn concentration (P>0.05). The GPx activity remained relatively constant (P>0.05), though SOD activity and MDA levels in skeletal muscle were enhanced on exposure to heat stress (P<0.05). The heat-stressed chicks that received the combined supplementary level of vitamin E and Se had the lowest concentration of MDA and the highest activity of SOD in the skeletal muscle (P<0.05). Dietary Se also caused a significant increase in enzyme activity of GPx in the skeletal muscle (P<0.05). These results indicate that the derangement of blood parameters and oxidative stability in broilers under heat stress are improved by supplemental vitamin E and Se.     

Anorexigenic effects of central neuropeptide S involve the hypothalamus in chicks (Gallus gallus)

Neuropeptide S (NPS) affects appetite-related processes in mammals. However, its role in avian biology is unreported. We hypothesized that intracerebroventricular (ICV) NPS would cause anorexigenic effects in chicks (Gallus gallus). To evaluate this, Cobb-500 chicks were centrally injected with multiple doses (0, 0.313, 0.625 and 1.250 mug) of NPS. NPS-treated chicks responded with decreased feed and water intake. The effect on water intake was secondary to feed intake, because fasted NPS-treated chicks did not reduce water intake. ICV NPS injection also reduced plasma corticosterone concentration. We monitored behavior and found decreased ingestive and exploratory pecking, jumping, locomotion, and increased time spent in deep rest. We hypothesized that the anorexigenic effects were hypothalamic in origin and quantified c-Fos reactivity in the lateral hypothalamus (LH), paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) after NPS treatment. NPS was associated with decreased c-Fos reactivity in the LH, increased reactivity in the PVN and had no effect in the VMH. When NPS was injected directly into the LH and PVN, chicks responded with decreased feed and water intake, suggesting that effects were directly mediated by these nuclei. We conclude that ICV NPS causes anorexigenic effects in chicks, without directly affecting water intake, and the hypothalamus is involved.     

Ascorbic acid and other chelating agents in the trace-mineral nutrition of the aphid Myzus persicae on artificial diets

Growth of the aphidMyzus persicae fed artificial diets in which the required trace minerals (Fe, Cu, Mn, and Zn) were incorporated as chlorides was compared to growth on diets in which the minerals were supplied as sodium EDTA complexes. If the mineral chlorides were allowed to interact with L ascorbic acid prior to their incorporation into a diet, much less ascorbic acid was needed than if the ascorbic acid was added after incorporation of the mineral chlorides into a diet. Low levels of D ascorbic acid or citric acid acted similarly to L ascorbic acid. This was presumably by chelating the minerals. The complexes thus formed not only maintained the minerals in solution for ingestion but appeared to facilitate their utilization by the aphids. However, higher levels of L ascorbic acid were needed by the insects, presumably for purposes other than trace-mineral nutrition, when they were maintained for longer periods on the diets.     

Effect of pyruvate, octanoate and glucose on leucine degradation in skeletal muscle from fed and fasted chicks

1. Pyruvate at 5 mM decreased the rate of leucine oxidative decarboxylation and increased the rate of 2-oxoisocaproate production in extensor digitorum communis (EDC) muscles from both fed and 24-hr fasted chicks. Pyruvate at 5 mM increased the net rate of leucine transamination in EDC muscle from fed chicks and had no effect in EDC muscles from 24-hr fasted chicks. 2. Octanoate at 0.2 and 1 mM markedly increased the rates of net leucine transamination, leucine oxidative decarboxylation and oxidation of decarboxylated leucine carbons 2-6 in EDC muscles from fed chicks, but had no effect on these parameters of leucine degradation in muscles from 24-hr fasted chicks. 3. Glucose at 5 and 12 mM decreased the rates of leucine oxidative decarboxylation and oxidation of decarboxylated leucine carbons 2-6, and increased the net rate of 2-oxoisocaproate production as compared to control (no glucose) group in muscles from fed chicks. Glucose had no effect on these parameters of leucine degradation in muscles from 24-hr fasted chicks.     

Effect of protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide on starvation,fasting and feeding oxygen consumption in juvenile spiny lobster Sagmariasus verreauxi

Metabolism in aquatic ectotherms evaluated by oxygen consumption rates reflects energetic costs including those associated with protein synthesis. Metabolism is influenced by nutritional status governed by feeding, nutrient intake and quality, and time without food. However, little is understood about contribution of protein synthesis to crustacean energy metabolism. This study is the first using a protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide to research contribution of cycloheximide-sensitive protein synthesis to decapod crustacean metabolism. Juvenile Sagmariasus verreauxi were subject to five treatments: 2-day fasted lobsters sham injected with saline; 2-day fasted lobsters injected with cycloheximide; 10-day starved lobsters injected with cycloheximide; post-prandial lobsters fed with squid Nototodarus sloanii with no further treatment; and post-prandial lobsters injected with cycloheximide. Standard and routine metabolic rates in starved lobsters were reduced by 32% and 41%, respectively, compared to fasted lobsters, demonstrating metabolic downregulation with starvation. Oxygen consumption rates of fasted and starved lobsters following cycloheximide injection were reduced by 29% and 13%, respectively, demonstrating protein synthesis represents only a minor component of energy metabolism in unfed lobsters. Oxygen consumption rate of fed lobsters was reduced by 96% following cycloheximide injection, demonstrating protein synthesis in decapods contributes a major proportion of specific dynamic action (SDA). SDA in decapods is predominantly a post-absorptive process likely related to somatic growth. This work extends previously limited knowledge on contribution of protein synthesis to crustacean metabolism, which is crucial to explore the relationship between nutritional status and diet quality and how this will affect growth potential in aquaculture species.

     

Effects of dietary chromium chloride supplementation on performance,some serum parameters,and immune response in broilers

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of increasing dietary levels of inorganic chromium (CrCl₃·6H₂O) on the performance, blood chemistry, and immune response of broilers. Eighty newly hatched Ross PM3 broiler chicks were evenly distributed to five groups of 16 chicks each. Two groups (control and only sheep red blood cell inoculated) were fed the basal diet containing 2.2 and 4.5 mg Cr/kg and the remaining groups were fed 20, 40, or 80 mg/kg Cr-supplemented diets for 44 d. Chicks in all groups, except in the control, at 3 and 5 wk of age, were injected intraperitonally with sheep red blood cell for determining the primary and secondary antibody responses, respectively. When the chicks were 4 wk of age, a delayed-type hypersensitivity test was performed. White blood cells were differentiated. Blood samples were collected for the determination of serum proteins, glucose, cholesterol, cortisol, minerals, and alkaline phosphatase activity and for antibody response. Chromium had no effect on weight gain, but 20 mg/kg supplemental Cr resulted in 18.57% reduction in feed consumption and improved feed efficiency by 16.77%. Chromium did not affect serum cholesterol and P levels but reduced serum glucose and increased serum protein, Cr, Ca, and Mg levels, and ALP activity. A slight reduction was observed with Cr supplementation in cortisol levels. Slight but not significant increases were observed with Cr in serum Zn and Cu. Chromium increased the ratio of bursa of Fabricius and liver to body weight. Heterophil and monocyte counts and heterophil/lymphocyte ratio were reduced and lymphocyte counts, total antibody, IgG, and IgM titers were increased by supplemental Cr. All levels of Cr increased the cell-mediated response to phytohemagglutinin. No alterations in tissues were observed by histopathological examinations.     

Dietary deoxynivalenol does not affect mineral element accumulation in breast and thigh muscles of broiler chicken

Deoxynivalenol (DON), a well-known contaminant of feed, can have negative effects on gut permeability and function in poultry, which then could affect major and trace element content of the broilers’ breast and thigh muscles, and ultimately reduce meat quality. To study this hypothesis, DON-contaminated diet was fed to broiler chicks. Two groups of birds were housed in metabolic cages with free access to water and feed, with or without DON (10 mg/kg). After 5 weeks, birds were dissected and samples of the breast and thigh muscles, feed and droppings were analysed for five macro (Ca, K, Mg, Na, and P) and ten micro elements (Al, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Li, Mo, Ni, Pb, Rb, and Zn) by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) or inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) methods. In both groups, increased (p?<?0.05) concentrations of Ca Na, Fe, Mn, and Zn were found in thigh muscles compared with the breast, whereas the concentrations of Mg, P, and Rb were higher in the breast muscles. DON had no effect on the elemental contents of the broilers’ breast and thigh muscles. In conclusion, DON at a level of 10 mg/kg feed to broiler chicken over of 5 weeks did not alter the macro or micro element composition in muscle meat.     

Early post-hatch fasting induces satellite cell self-renewal

Early post-hatch satellite cell kinetics are an important aspect of muscle development, and understanding the interplay between fasting and muscle development will lead to improvements in muscle mass following an illness, and optimal meat production. The objective of this experiment was to test the influence of immediate post-hatch fasting on satellite cells in the poult. Male Nicholas poults (Meleagris gallopavo) were placed into two treatments: a fed treatment with immediate access to feed and water upon placement and a fasted treatment without access to feed and water for the first three days post-hatch. 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) was injected intra-abdominally in all poults to label mitotically active satellite cells. The pectoralis thoracicus muscle was harvested two hours following the BrdU injection. Immunohistochemistry for BrdU, Pax7, Bcl-2, Pax7 with BrdU, and determining myofiber cross-sectional area along with computer-based image analysis was used to study muscle development. Fed poults had higher body masses throughout the experiment (P< or =0.01), and they had higher pectoralis thoracicus muscle mass (P< or =0.01) at ten days of age than the fasted poults. Fed poults had higher satellite cell mitotic activity at three days and four days of age (P< or =0.01) compared to the fasted poults. However, Pax7 labeling index was higher in the fasted poults (P< or =0.01) at three days, four days, and five days post-hatch than the fed group. Similarly Bcl-2 labeling was higher in the fasted than in the fed group at three days post-hatch. Therefore, fasting depleted proliferating satellite cells indicated by the lower BrdU labeling in the fasted poults compared to the fed poults, and conserved the satellite cell proliferative reserve indicated by the higher level of Pax7 labeling for the fasted poults compared to the fed poults.