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Embryo thermal manipulation modifies development and hepatic lipid metabolism in post-hatch layer-type chicks
Sheng Li1, Yuyan Wang1, Siyu Guo1
1Research Centre for Livestock Environmental Control and Smart Production, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
Journal of Animal Science
|August 20, 2024
Summary
Embryonic thermal manipulation (TM) impacts layer chick development. High temperatures (TMH) accelerated hatching, while low temperatures (TML) reduced hatchability and altered liver lipid metabolism, with effects diminishing over time.
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Embryology
- Metabolic Physiology
Background:
- Incubation temperature critically influences embryonic development and poultry quality.
- Liver lipid metabolism is vital for poultry growth and development.
- Understanding thermal manipulation (TM) effects on embryonic development and metabolism is crucial for optimizing poultry production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of high (TMH) and low (TML) embryonic thermal manipulation on hatching performance and liver lipid metabolism in layer chicks.
- To evaluate the duration of TM effects on chick growth and metabolism through a short-term feeding trial.
Main Methods:
- Layer embryos were subjected to TMH (39.5 °C, 8 h/d) or TML (20 °C, 1 h/d) between the 8th and 15th embryonic days.
- Hatching performance, growth, residual yolk, relative liver weight, and liver/serum lipid content (triglyceride, total cholesterol) were assessed.
- Liver lipid droplet accumulation (Oil Red O staining) and gene expression (lipogenesis/oxidation) and enzyme activity (LPL) were analyzed.
Main Results:
- TMH accelerated hatching; TML delayed hatching, reduced hatchability, and decreased chick quality, increasing residual yolk and decreasing relative liver weight.
- TMH did not significantly alter liver/serum lipids but upregulated lipogenesis genes (ACC, Fas, Fatp1).
- TML reduced liver triglyceride, increased LPL activity, and promoted lipid oxidation genes (CPT-1, PGC-1α, PPARα); TMH increased LPL activity at 7 days, but TM effects on lipids and gene expression diminished in TML chicks.
Conclusions:
- Embryonic thermal manipulation significantly alters hatching performance and liver lipid metabolism in layer chicks.
- TML enhances lipid oxidation capacity, reducing triglyceride content, but these metabolic adaptations are transient.
- The long-term impact of embryonic thermal manipulation on layer chick development and metabolism is limited as chicks mature.
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