Effect of High Calcium and High Protein Diets on the Livers of Hyacinth Laying Hens

Purpose To investigate the effects of high-calcium and high-protein diets on the livers of Hyacinth brown laying hens.

Method Eighty 40-day-old Hyland brown laying hens were randomly divided into 4 groups. Group 1 was fed on the basal diet (control), group 2 was fed on high calcium diet, group 3 was fed on high protein diet, and group 4 was fed on high calcium plus high protein diet (experimental groups). On the 95^th day of the experiment, 6 chickens were randomly selected from each group to collect serum and test biochemical indicators and the livers were embedded and sectioned for HE and oil red staining. Liver tissue was collected for the detection of xanthine oxidase activity (XOD), interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha).

Result Compared with group 1, the chickens in the experimental groups had the following changes: serum uric acid levels and liver XOD activity increased; aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase activity increased; serum total protein, albumin and globulin increased in group 2 and 4; total protein, albumin and globulin increased; the concentrations of total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, and indirect bilirubin, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein and cholesterol were reduced, triglyceride increased; the concentrations of IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α in the liver increased. Whereas serum high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides were similar to those in the control group. There were necrotic lesions and inflammatory cell infiltration in the liver. The arrangement of hepatic cell cords was disordered, and hepatocyte degeneration occurred. There were fat drops in a few chicken liver cells.

Conclusion Feeding high-calcium and high-protein diet caused damage to the structure and function of liver in chickens. Among them, the chickens fed on high calcium plus high protein diet had the most serious damage.