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Plasma Estradiol, Thyroid Hormones, and Liver Lipid Content in Laying Hens Fed Different Isocaloric Diets^1,2,

Yukio Akiba^3,*, L. S. Jensen^*, C. R. Barb and R. R. Kraeling

^* Department of Poultry Science, University of Georgia and Richard B. Russell Agricultural Research Center USDA, Athens, GA 30602

Two experiments were conducted with laying hens fed a corn-soy basal diet or diets containing fish meal, distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) or torula yeast formulated to be isocaloric and isonitrogenous with the basal diet. One half of the hens were kept at a temperature range of 13–24° and the other half at 24–35° for 49 days in experiment 2. Liver lipid content was significantly lower in hens fed DDGS (experiment 1) and DDGS or fish meal (experiment 2) than in hens fed the corn-soy basal diet, but it was not influenced by environmental temperature. Feeding DDGS or fish meal reduced lipoprotein lipase activity in adipose tissue. High temperature reduced plasma estradiol level but not thyroid hormone levels. Plasma estradiol in the hens fed DDGS or fish meal (experiment 1) and DDGS, fish meal or torula yeast (experiment 2) and plasma thyroxine and triiodothyronine in hens fed the DDGS or fish meal at 24–35° in experiment 2 were significantly lower than that of hens fed the corn-soy basal diet. Significant correlations were observed between liver lipid content and plasma estradiol or thyroxine concentrations. These findings show that plasma estrogen and thyroxine levels were influenced by diet composition and that these hormones have a close relation to induction of fatty livers in laying hens.

KEY WORDS: • environmental temperature • fatty liver • fatty liver-hemorrhagic syndrome • liver lipid • lipoprotein lipase • plasma estradiol • plasma thyroxine

¹ Supported in part by grant 901-15-157, Science and Education Administration, U. S. Department of Agriculture.

² Current address is Department of Animal Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980, Japan.

³ Mention of a trade name, proprietary product, or specific equipment does not constitute a guarantee or warranty by the U. S. Department of Agriculture.

Manuscript received 31 July 1981.