STIMULATION OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN JAPANESE-QUAILS AFTER ORAL-ADMINISTRATION OF ECDYSTEROID-CONTAINING DIET

Freshly hatched Japanese quails of the strain Faraon were fed for 50 d ays by diets containing graded amounts of pulverized seeds of an Asiat ic plant Leuzea carthamoides Iljin. The dry seeds of this plant contai ned 1.8%-2.1% of 20-hydroxyecdysone, together with some smaller amount s of other ecdysteroids. In additional experiments the quails were als o offered the standard diet plus whole seeds of Leuzea ad libitum and the standard diet enriched with certain commercially available biostim ulating preparations for birds, Biostrong and Ecovit. The effects of t he diets were evaluated first at the age of 37 days and then at the ag e of 50 days, which covered the reproduction period. Investigations re lated to the effects on growth, behaviour and overall developmental co nditions were completed by RIA analysis of ecdysteroid concentrations circulating in the blood of the quails. The basic experimental series involved testing of the following diets: 0) Standard diet (SD); 1) SD + 0.2% Leuzea seed; 2) SD + 1.0% Leuzea; 3) SD + 5.0% Leuzea; 4) SD 5.0% Biostrong; 5) SD + 3.0% Ecovit, and; 6) SD + the whole seeds of L euzea ad libitum. At the age of 37 days we found the following percent age increase of the living mass (Control group = 100%): 1) 102.8%; 2) 109.5%; 3) 120.4%; 4) 101.9%; 5) 104.9%:, and 6) 103.5%. These results confirm previous findings of strong anabolic effects of Leuzea in gro wth of the vertebrate animals. However, since the plant contains a num ber of other biologically active classes of the secondary plant substa nces, the true responsibility of ecdysteroids for the described effect s cannot be guaranteed, without further studies with pure ecdysteroid. The results of RIA analyses revealed that the amount of 20-hydroxyecd ysone circulating in the blood of Japanese quails was directly proport ional to the amount of dietary ecdysteroid. The largest concentrations , around 80 ng/ml of blood were found in quails which consumed the who le seeds of Leuzea.