Noble R C, Connor K, McCartney R, Brown D
Hannah Research Institute, Ayr.
Res Vet Sci. 1988 Jan;44(1):33-7.
A comparative study was made of biliary and liver lipid compositions during the growth and egg laying periods of the broiler bird. The liver lipids showed high concentrations of triacylglycerols at seven weeks old which increased when egg laying proceeded. At seven weeks old the lipids of the bile also showed high levels of triacylglycerols which decreased with the onset of egg laying but increased slightly as egg laying proceeded. At seven weeks old the fatty acid composition of the bile triacylglycerols differed from that of the liver which in turn was different from that of the liver at the onset of egg laying. In particular the bile triacylglycerols had lower levels of oleic but higher levels of arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids. By the late egg laying period, the fatty acid compositions of the bile and liver triacylglycerols were similar. The unique bile lipid composition and its changes are discussed in relationship to the major features of liver lipid metabolism in the broiler bird and the mechanism of lipid deposition during egg laying.
