Effects of Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on Hepatic Lipid Metabolism Parameters and Lipogenic Gene mRNA Expression in Broiler Chickens

The aim of the present study was to identify the effects of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on hepatic lipid metabolism parameters and lipogenic gene mRNA expression in broiler chickens. A total of 72 1-day-old broiler chicks received a common basal diet with DHEA added at either 0 (control), 5 or 20 mg/kg feed. In the present study, the hepatic triglyceride (TG) concentration was significantly lower in male and female broilers that had bed administered DHEA than in control birds. In contrast, DHEA administration caused a marked rise in the hepatic non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentration in both male and female broilers and also increased lipase (HL) activity in male broilers, while in female birds, no significant differences were observed in HL activity. The expression of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor α (PPARα) and carnitine palmitoyl transferase I (CPTI) mRNA was decidedly enhanced following treatment with DHEA, and a similar tendency was also observed in the expression of acyl-Coenzyme A oxidase 1 (ACOX1). However, no significant differences were observed in the expression of either sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) or acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC) mRNA, except for a decline in the expression of ACC in females treated with 5 mg DHEA/kg. Numerous peroxisomes without a core and an increased number of peroxisomes were evident during morphological observations of broiler livers, in animals that had been treated with DHEA. Overall, the results of the present study indicated that DHEA accelerated lipid catabolism by direct regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism and by induction of relevant gene expression.