Effects of "products of chicken embryo" on growth and sexual development in rats

Products of Chicken Embryo (PCE) such as Ji-Pei-Jing is a kind of food for Chinese children prepared from chicken embryo. Female rats on 21 days were administered with aqueous solutions of Ji-Pei-Jing (1.2%, 3%, 12%, and 48%, respectively) by gavage up to their onsets of puberty. The rats in the control group were treated with distilled water. However, Ji-Pei-Jing treatment exerted some effects on sexual maturation in the immature female rats. Essentially, the effects showed a dose-response tendency with an inverted "U" shape. The age of vaginal opening for group treated with Ji-Pei-Jing was significantly earlier than that to the control. Its uterus weight/b.w. ratio also significantly increased on day 30 and at the first estrus. There were significantly increases in the adrenal weight/b.w. ratio of 30-day-old rats that were treated with 3%, 12%, and 48% Ji-Pei-Jing. The rats treated with 48% Ji-Pei-Jing had significantly lesser ovary weight/b.w. ratio on day 30, too. The rats treated with Ji-Pei-Jing could normally ovulate at the first estrus, and no significant differences were observed during estrous cycles. The effects of PCE on serum levels of E2, P, LH in 30-day-old rats and FSH in 28-day-old rats were elevated significantly by 3% Ji-Pei-Jing treatment. It appears that the effects of PCE result from interaction of contained complex physiologically active substances. Steroids, especially estradio-17 beta, possibly play a key role, and polypeptide hormones may also exert important effects.