HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Fassbinder-Orth, C. A. Articles by Karasov, W. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Fassbinder-Orth, C. A. Articles by Karasov, W. H.

Effects of Feed Restriction and Realimentation on Digestive and Immune Function in the Leghorn Chick

C. A. Fassbinder-Orth^*,1 and W. H. Karasov

^* Department of Zoology and Department of Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison 53706

¹ Corresponding author: fassbinderor{at}wisc.edu

How regulatory changes of digestive and immune functions of the gut influence each other has not been sufficiently studied. We tested for simultaneous changes in the digestive physiology and mucosal immune function of the guts of White Leghorn cockerel chicks undergoing food restriction and realimentation. Chicks were assigned to 1 of 3 groups: control = fed ad libitum 7 to 17 d of age; restricted = feed restricted d 12 to 17 (at 2 restriction levels: 54 and 34% ad libitum); refed = feed restricted d 7 to 13 and then fed ad libitum d 14 to 17. Refed chicks exhibited 1 d of hyperphagy and an increase in apparent digestive efficiency following restriction (ANOVA, P < 0.001). Total small intestine mass and duodenal maltase activity differed among the groups in the order refed > control > restricted, as expected (ANOVA, P < 0.05 for both measures). In contrast, there were no significant treatment effects on our measures of gut immune structure and function, including bursa mass, spleen mass, and total IgA content of intestinal flush samples measured with standard ELISA techniques. The results of this study indicated that, during feed restriction and realimentation, some features of gut immune function are maintained unchanged in the face of regulatory changes that influence digestive functions.

Key Words: food restriction • realimentation • digestive efficiency • mucosal immune system • compensatory growth

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. Brzek, K. Kohl, E. Caviedes-Vidal, and W. H. Karasov Developmental adjustments of house sparrow (Passer domesticus) nestlings to diet composition J. Exp. Biol., May 1, 2009; 212(9): 1284 - 1293. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. R. Gilbert, H. Li, D. A. Emmerson, K. E. Webb Jr, and E. A. Wong Dietary Protein Quality and Feed Restriction Influence Abundance of Nutrient Transporter mRNA in the Small Intestine of Broiler Chicks J. Nutr., February 1, 2008; 138(2): 262 - 271. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]