Effects of chronic hypoxia and protein malnutrition on growth in the developing chick

• Published in: American journal of obstetrics and gynecology 2002-02, Vol.186 (2), p.261-267
• Main Authors: Miller, Suzanne L., Green, Lucy R., Peebles, Donald M., Hanson, Mark A., Blanco, Carlos E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weight; chick embryo; Chick Embryo - anatomy & histology; Chick Embryo - physiology; Chronic Disease; Chronic hypoxia; Diseases of mother, fetus and pregnancy; Fetal Diseases - pathology; Fetal Diseases - physiopathology; Fetal Hypoxia - pathology; Fetal Hypoxia - physiopathology; growth; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Medical sciences; Organ Size; Pregnancy. Fetus. Placenta; protein malnutrition; Protein-Energy Malnutrition - pathology; Protein-Energy Malnutrition - physiopathology; Survival Analysis
• ISSN: 0002-9378; 1097-6868
• DOI: 10.1067/mob.[phone]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine how chronic hypoxia and/or protein malnutrition in ovo affect growth in developing chicks. Study Design: Chicken eggs were incubated under normoxic (21% oxygen; n = 30 eggs) or hypoxic (14% oxygen; n = 80 eggs) conditions. Hypoxia was imposed from day 0 (n = 38 eggs), day 10 (n = 22 eggs), or from day 0 to 10 (n = 20 eggs). Protein malnutrition alone (n = 20 eggs) or in combination with hypoxia (n = 24 eggs) was induced by removal of 10% of the estimated total albumin content of the egg. Embryos/chicks were killed and weighed at day 10, 15, or immediately after hatch; organs were removed and weighed. Results: Embryos to which hypoxia was imposed from day 0 weighed less than control embryos at day 10, which stayed the same until hatch (64.67% ± 3.56% egg mass vs 69.36% ± 3.90% [mean ± SD]; P