Influence of dietary sex hormones on chick lipid metabolism.

The major ovarian hormones (estradiol and progesterone), the major testicular hormone (testosterone), and the major precursor to steroid hormones (cholesterol) were fed ad libitum in various combinations for either 2 weeks or 2 months (56 days) to 5-day-old female chicks; the effects of these treatments on liver lipids and plasma lipoproteins were measured. After two weeks, chicks fed basal diet supplemented with 0.05% estradiol had significant increases in plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids (P less than .01). The combined supplementation of 0.05% estradiol plus 1% cholesterol produced an additive increase in plasma total cholesterol resulting in levels higher than obtained by either treatment alone (P less than .01). The addition of 0.2% progesterone to the 1% cholesterol diet inhibited the accumulation of plasma cholesterol (P less than .05), liver cholesterol (P less than .01), and liver triglycerides (P less than .01), which were found in comparable animals fed only 1% cholesterol. Likewise, the addition of 0.2% progesterone to diet containing 0.05% estradiol inhibited (P less than .01) accumulations in all of the plasma lipid classes which were found in comparable birds fed only 0.05% estradiol. After 2 months feeding, 0.1% testosterone had no effect on plasma or liver lipids. The combination of 0.05% estradiol plus 0.1% testosterone for 2 months was not very effective in reducing the hyperlipidemia caused by estradiol alone, but this treatment did result in a peculiar dwarf chicken. The results demonstrate strong steroid sex hormone interactions which produce major changes in chick plasma and liver lipid metabolism.