Effects of Incubational Oxygen Concentration on Fatty Acid Metabolism and Heme Synthesis in Broiler Breeder Embryos

摘要

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of incubational oxygen concentration on fatty acid metabolism and heme synthesis in broiler breeder embryos. We measured the hepatic activities of δ -aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) and 3-hydroxyacyle Co-A dehydrogenase (3-HADH) as these enzymes are the limiting steps in heme synthesis and fatty acid metabolism, respectively. We found no differences in ALAD activity between days 17 and 20 of incubation; we hypothesize that this is because heme synthesis is relatively constant at the later periods of embryonic development. 3-HADH activity was higher in chicks hatched from eggs incubated under low oxygen conditions during early incubation, while specific ALAD activity was reduced in this group as compared to controls.