Rate of lipid peroxidation in brain and liver tissues and the total antioxidant status of blood plasma in developing chicks

Age-related changes of tissue lipid peroxidation (LPO) of liver and brain, as well as plasma antioxidant capacity of broiler chicken cockerels were in vestigated. Tissue LPO was characterised by the spectrophotometric assessme nt of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Plasma antioxidant p ower was evaluated by the measurement of total antioxidant status (TAS). Ne wly hatched broiler chicks had similar TAS value (1.19 mmol/l) as newborns of mammalian species. Significant changes (p < 0.05) were observed in the t ime course of all parameters. Tissue TEARS concentration was higher in the brain than in the liver at hatching, while the latter organ was found to ha ve more effective antioxidant defence during embryonic life. The concentrat ion of TEARS increased up to the 10th day in the liver but only up to the 2 1st day in the brain, and the former was accompanied by an approximately 50 % decrease of plasma antioxidant capacity. This suggests that the liver pla ys an important role in forming the antioxidant defence mechanisms of the b lood plasma in broiler chicks.