Is there lipid peroxidation induced malondialdehyde production during egg shell formation?

The marked increase observed in malondialdehyde concentration of the blood plasma and liver of laying hens during egg shell formation in a previous experiment (Mézes and Lencsés, 1985) were explained as a possible consequence of physiologically controlled lipid peroxidation. In this experiment, 54-week-old laying hens were treated intrauterinally with indomethacin (1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg body mass) after oviposition. Two other groups of hens were treated per os with excess amounts of vitamin E (100 and 200 mg/bird). The higher dose of indomethacin significantly decreased the PGF2 alpha production and malondialdehyde content of the sell gland, as well as the malondialdehyde concentration of the plasma. The excess amount of vitamin E had the same effect. The results suggest that during egg shell formation malondialdehyde is derived from prostanoid biosynthesis rather than from a free-radical initiated lipid peroxidative process. On the other hand, the excess amount of vitamin E inhibited prostaglandin biosynthesis as well as malondialdehyde production.