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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #115220
Title: DIETARY ADRENERGIC ACTIVE COMPOUNDS AND THE RESPONSE OF BROILERS TO ISOPROTERENOL AND CYCLIC ADENOSINE MONOPHOSPHATE IN VITRO

Author
item Rosebrough, Robert

Submitted to: International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/3/2000
Publication Date: 3/26/2001
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Excess fat production in the modern broiler accounts for an annual loss to the poultry industry of 800 to 950 million dollars annually. The original source of this problem relates to selection genetic practices that emphasized rapid growth at the expense of other carcass characteristics. The literature is limited concerning the genetic x nutrition interaction involved in the control of fat synthesis in the modern broiler. We used a rapid growth strain of male chickens to study the effects of dietary protein on the ability of chicks to synthesize fat. The line of chicks selected for rapid growth provided liver tissue that, when put into a culture system, exhibited a high rate of lipid synthetic ability. When lines of chickens were fed higher protein diets, they exhibited a decrease in the ability to produce fat. Repartitioning agents, when used to reduce fat in the modern broiler, do not require a specific level of dietary protein for effectiveness

Technical Abstract: Broiler chickens growing from 7-28 d of age were fed diets containing 18% protein and 0, 1, 10 or 100 mg/kg yohimbine (alpha-2-adrenergic antagonist) or metaproterenol (beta-adrenergic agonist) to determine the role of adrenergic agents in the regulation of feeding behavior and metabolism. Metaproterenol (1 and 10 mg/kg diet) improved and yohimbine (100 mg/kg) depressed growth from 7 to 28 days. Both metaproterenol and yohimbine (10 mg/kg) decreased (P<0.05) IVL compared to controls. The IVL ratio (+ISO or cAMP:-ISO -cAMP) was not affected by feeding either of the two compounds. These dietary additions also decreased (P<0.05) hepatic malic enzyme activity without affecting the activities of either isocitrate dehydrogenase or glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase. Data from this experiment suggest that both an alpha-adrenergic antagonist and a beta- adrenergic agonist affect feed intake, growth and metabolism in the broiler rchicken.