Effect of intrahepatic glucose infusions on feeding in heavy and light breed chicks

Although food intake regulation by the central nervous system in the fowl has received considerable attention, studies examining peripheral regulatory mechanisms are relatively few. The objective of these experiments was to determine the role of the liver in short-term regulation of feeding. Small volumes of isotonic glucose were infused into the hepatic circulation of undisturbed, unrestrained Single Comb White Leghorn (SCWL) and Rock-Cornish (RC) cockerels under both free-feeding and mildly-fasted conditions. Glucose infusions significantly decreased the food intake of free-feeding SCWL chicks but had no effect on mildly-fasted SCWL chicks. The RC chicks, whether free feeding or mildly fasted, were not influenced by the glucose infusions. These findings suggest that selection for increased growth rate has affected peripheral appetite regulatory mechanisms.