抄録
Chitosan, a polymer of glucosamine, decrease the absorption of dietary fat and then reduce the abdominal fat deposition in broiler chickens. Chitosan is digested by hens and broilers. Thus, chitosan may decrease lipogenesis and triglyceride (TG) synthesis in the liver. However, little research has been done to determine whether dietary chitosan regulate hepatic lipid metabolism in chickens. Administration of antithyroid agent such as propylthiouracil (PTU) induces excessive lipid deposition in livers of chickens. The present experiment was conducted to determine the effect of dietary chitosan on liver lipid concentrations in broiler chickens fed on PTU containing diets. Male broiler chickens at 14d old were fed on the basal diet based on corn and soybean meal or a PTU containing (0.03%) diets supplemented with or without 5% chitosan for 2 weeks. Administration of PTU increased (P<0.05) thyroid weight, liver weight and the contents of total lipid and TG in the liver. Dietary chitosan did not affect feed intake, body weight gain, feed efficiency, thyroid weight, liver weight and plasma TG concentration, but decreased (P<0.05) the contents of total lipid and TG in the liver regardless of dietary PTU treatment. These results suggest that dietary chitosan may not affect excessive lipid deposition in the liver induced by PTU, although a part of dietary chitosan may be absorbed and reduce lipogenesis and TG synthesis in the liver in broiler chickens.
