HYPERGLYCEMIA AND NONENZYMATIC GLYCATION OF SERUM AND TISSUE PROTEINSIN CHICKENS

The objectives of these studies were to determine whether elevated pla sma glucose concentrations in broiler breeder chickens (200-250mg/dl) can result in the non-enzymatic attachment of glucose to serum protein s (fructosamine) and eventual cross-linking of tissue proteins (baseme nt membrane thickness), and to investigate the effects of a factor tha t may influence this cross-linking process. In response to feeding the satiety factor calcium propionate (CaP, 1.7%), plasma glucose and fru ctosamine concentrations were increased (P < 0.05) from 1 to 9 weeks o f age, whereas concentrations of plasma glucose and fructosamine in fe ed-restricted chicks were reduced for the first 7 weeks after hatch. I n a second study, the age-related increase in kidney capillary basemen t membrane thickness was prevented (P < 0.05) by feeding the cross-lin king inhibitor aminoguanidine (AG, 800 ppm) to 30-week-old broiler bre eder hens for 34 weeks. The results from these studies suggest that co ncentrations of plasma glucose in chickens may, in fact, be exerting l ong-term detrimental effects on tissue proteins, which can be ameliora ted by factors that limit the cross-linking reaction,