[Influence of coumarin on the lipolytic activity in the hyperlipaemic plasma of cocks]

Two groups of cocks were kept for 84 days on a diet rich in fat (group D) or on a similar diet with addition of coumarin (group DK). In the plasma of these birds there occurred a distinct increase of the concentration of total fat (TC) and cholesterol (CH), in comparison with the concentration of these substances of the plasma of control birds. The concentration of TC in the plasma of group DK was higher than that observed in group D. The concentration of CH was similar in both experimental groups. The level of the lipolytic activity of plasma (ALpO) changed during the experiment and was higher in the plasma of the cocks of group DK than in that of group D. Confrontation of the results of the determinations of ALpO, TC and CH in groups D and DK demonstrates that the symptoms of a disturbance of the metabolism of fats, which occur in cocks kept on a diet rich in fats, are stimulated by coumarin. This influence is demonstrated by a speeding up, by about 42 days, of the occurrence of these symptoms, i.e. of the increase of the TC concentration and of the ALpO level. The values of TC and ALpO, determined on the 21st and 42nd day of the experiment in group DK, corresponded to the relevant values found in group D on the 63rd and 84th day of the experiment. It is highly probable that coumarin acts on the mechanisms which control the ALpO level indirectly, through the carbohydrate metabolism.