Paul Griminger

Dietary saponin and plasma cholesterol in the chicken.

Summary A study with growing chicks and adult roosters indicated that dietary saponin will depress blood plasma cholesterol previously elevated by feeding low protein levels in presence and absence of dietary cholesterol. It is suggested that complexing of saponin with cholesterol secreted in the intestinal lumen makes less cholesterol available for reabsorption from the intestinal tract.

Cholesterol-Lowering Effects of Certain Grains and of Oat Fractions in the Chick.

Summary The plasma cholesterol-lowering activity of whole ground oats and its components was studied in chicks fed hypercholesterolemic diets. Oat hulls were most effective whereas oat starch and oat oil had no cholesterol-lowering activity. Liver lipids and cholesterol were also significantly reduced by whole oats and oat hulls, and, to a lesser extent, by dehulled oats. In contrast to observations made with pectin or scleroglucan, fecal lipids and sterols were not increased by the feeding of whole oats or oat hulls.

Effects of Dietary Protein Restriction on Circulating Concentrations of Growth Hormone in Growing Domestic Fowl (Gallus domesticus)

Abstract Two- to three-week-old broiler chicks were fed isocaloric purified diets with varying levels of protein (soy protein supplemented with glycine and methionine). The growth rates of the birds were monitored throughout the period of 14 days on the purified diets, while the circulating concentrations of growth hormone (GH) were determined at the end of this period. As expected, decreases in the dietary protein level were associated with concomitant reductions in growth rate. While this decrease in growth rate was observed with chicks fed 12 and 18% protein (compared with 24%), circulating concentrations of GH were observed to be only elevated with severe protein restriction (10% and lower). There was also evidence for some progressive increase in plasma concentrations of GH as dietary protein levels were decreased.

Avian Atherosclerosis: Retardation by Pectin

A highly significant retardation of spontaneous atherosclerosis was observed in 2-year-old cockerels fed on a standard diet supplemented with 5 percent pectin for 18 months. The pectin-fed birds excreted three times as much lipid extract and almost twice as much cholesterol as did the control cockerels fed the standard diet supplemented with 5 percent nonnutritive fiber.

The retardation by pectin of cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis in the fowl

Summary Day-old Leghorn cockerels were given a diet containing egg powder and supplemented either with pectin or non-nutritive fiber. After 24 weeks on the diets, the pectin-fed birds had significantly lower blood levels of plasma cholesterol, eliminated more lipid and cholesterol in their excreta, and had a significantly lower incidence and severity of atherosclerosis as measured macroscopically and histologically. Using carmine as a marker, food was observed to pass faster through the alimentary tract of the pectin-fed birds. Throughout the study, the pectin-fed birds consumed more feed than the controls, despite the fact that the former grew more slowly during the early stages of development than the latter. The results suggested that pectin may be effective in reducing the incidence and severity of both spontaneous and cholesterol-induced avian atherosclerosis. The present study suggests that pectin acts by accelerating the transit of food through the alimentary tract resulting in an increased excretion of possible atherogenic substances, as well as of total nutrients (calories).

Genetic differences in growth potential on amino acid deficient diets.

Summary Chicks from hens from a random-bred flock were raised to 4 weeks of age on either an arginine- or a lysine-deficient diet. The results showed an inherited growth potential for chicks given either amino-acid-deficient diet. In most cases, offspring of any one dam behaved differently on the 2 deficient diets. The ranking of dams on the basis of growth potential of offspring given a complete ration was similar to that obtained on the arginine- but not the lysine-deficient ration. The coefficient of variation of 4-week weights was greatest on the arginine-deficient diet and least on the complete diet.

Biological Activity of the Various Vitamin K Forms

Publisher Summary This chapter evaluates the biological activity of several vitamin K forms. The discovery of vitamin K, as well as practically all the early biological work with this vitamin, was based on experimentation. There was little activity in the development of new forms, although other improvements made vitamin K more available and more stable. The chapter describes the development of aqueous suspensions of the fat-soluble phylloquinone for intravenous use and the preparation of stabilized phylloquinone beadlets used as a vitamin K standard. Recently, a new water soluble derivative of menadione, menadione dimethyl pyrimidinol bisulfite, was developed; this compound, which appears to have a higher biological activity than does menadione sodium bisulfite, is discussed in the chapter. The present knowledge of the differences in biological activity of the various forms of vitamin K is based mainly on observation not on a thorough understanding of the underlying metabolic processes. Efforts toward a better understanding of these processes should occupy workers in this field during the years ahead.

Effect of pectin on atherosclerosis in the cholesterol-fed rabbit

Summary Californian male and female rabbits were fed for 11 months a diet containing 1 % cholesterol and 5 % of either pectin or cellulose. The male, pectin-fed rabbits had consistently lower blood cholesterol levels and a lower incidence of thoracic and abdominal atherosclerosis than did either the control animals or the females also receiving pectin. Both male and female rabbits on the pectin-supplemented diet excreted more lipid and sterol in the feces than did the control animals. There were no differences between dietary treatments in the severity of coronary lesions, but the female rabbits had more severe lesions than the male animals. Mortality was high between 6 and 11 months, but was somewhat lower on the pectin than on the control diet.

Effect of polyene macrolides on cholesterol metabolism of the chick.

Summary It was shown that small concentrations of certain dietary polyene macrolides, and in particular the aromatic heptaenes, effectively reduce plasma cholesterol of cholesterolfed chicks, presumably through a mechanism which involves binding of lipids, particularly cholesterol, in the digestive tract.

Anti-Hypercholesterolemic Action of Scleroglucan and Pectin in Chickens.

Summary Pectin and the polysaccharide scleroglucan reduced dietary hypercholestero-lemia in chicks; this reduction was accompanied by an increased excretion of chloroform-methanol extractable lipid, including cholesterol. The chemical dissimilarity of pectin and scleroglucan suggests that the anti-hyper-cholesterolemic activity of the two materials may be due to their physical rather than to their chemical properties.