Authors : Yuting Zhang, Juan Chen, Haitian Ma and Sixiang Zou
Abstract: To explore the effects of maternal dietary treatments with Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on lipid metabolism this study investigated lipid parameters and related hormones in the offspring broilers. Seventy five female broilers were allocated into 3 groups and they were provided with a commercial diet supplemented with DHEA at 0, 25 or 50 mg kg-1 diet. Eggs were collected after DHEA treatment and incubated at 37.5°C and a relative humidity of 60%. Broiler offspring were fed the same basal diets from 1-42 days. The results showed that the body weight was decreased (p<0.05) at 21 day in all DHEA treatment group while a decrease was observed with 25 mg kg-1 DHEA treatment in male offspring broilers at 42 day (p<0.05). The daily gain and feed/gain were decreased with DHEA treatment during 1-3 weeks in offspring broilers (p<0.05). The Percent of Liver (PL) and Percent of Abdominal Fat (PAF) were decreased (p<0.05) in male offspring broilers in all DHEA treatment groups and the Percent of Thigh Muscle (PTM) and Percent of Breast Muscle (PBM) were increased in male offspring broilers with 50 mg kg-1 DHEA treatment. The content of hepatic Triglycerides (TG) was decreased with 50 mg kg-1 DHEA in male offspring broilers while the level of serum TG was increased (p<0.05). The concentration of Non-Esterified Fatty Acid (NEFA) was higher with 25 mg kg-1 DHEA treatment in both male and female offspring broilers as compared to the control group (p<0.05). An increase in serum Triiodothyronine (T3) and a decrease in serum Thyroxin (T4) were observed in all experimental groups with supplement maternal DHEA (p<0.05), except in female offspring broilers from 50 mg kg-1 DHEA maternal-fed birds. Also, 25 mg kg-1 DHEA supplement enhanced the serum Glucagon (GLU) concentration in male offspring broilers and 50 mg kg-1 DHEA could increased the leptin level in female offspring broilers. Overall, the results of this study indicated that maternal Dietary DHEA would be beneficial in decreasing abdominal lipid deposition in offspring broilers.
Yuting Zhang, Juan Chen, Haitian Ma and Sixiang Zou, 2012. Effects of Maternal Dietary Treatment with Dehydroepiandrosterone on Lipid Metabolism Parameters in Offspring Broilers. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 11: 4332-4339.