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Evidence for Direct Effects of Essential Fatty Acids at the Hypothalamus-Pituitary Level in Domestic Fowl^{1 ,2}

Poultry Science Department, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30601

Essential fatty acid-deficient cockerels had reduced semen quantity, sperm concentration, sperm motility, sperm fertilizing ability and testes size. Histological study of the testes of essential fatty acid-deficient cockerels shows loss of germinal epithelium and degenerative changes occurring in the seminiferous tubules. Injection of luteinizing hormone (NIH-ovine, S₁₂, 0.2 µg/kg/day) increased the concentration of sperm, increased the packed cell volume of sperm and caused testes to appear almost normal upon microscopic examination. Follicle-stimulating hormone (NIH-ovine S₄, 0.2 mg/kg/day) and testosterone propionate (2.0 mg/kg/day) enhanced degenerative changes in the seminiferous tubules and did not improve semen quality by any criterion. The classical increase in trienoic and decrease in dienoic and tetraenoic fatty acids of testes lipids remained unchanged in deficient cockerels that showed increased semen quality and an improved microscopic picture as a result of receiving luteinizing hormone (LH). Pituitaries from essential fatty acid-deficient cockerels had increased amounts of Periodic Acid Schiff-positive material (secretory in nature) indicating that hormones were produced but not released. Results indicate that one of the basic modes of action of essential fatty acids may be at the brain or hypothalamic level involved with the production or release of LH-releasing factors from the hypothalamus.

KEY WORDS: • essential fatty acids • hormone • spermatogenesis • hypothalamus-pituitary

¹ University of Georgia, College of Agriculture Experiment Stations, Journal Series paper number 960, College Station, Athens.

² Supported in part by U.S. Public Health Service Research Grant no. 6338 and a Research Career Award no. 18,411 from the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases.

Manuscript received 4 March 1971.