The effects of CP and
antioxidants on
fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome (
FLHS) in Japanese quail hens were studied. In Experiment 1, four treatments were arranged
as a 2 x 2 factorial; dietary CP (18 or 24%) and
reduced glutathione (GSH, 0 or 120 mg/kg diet) were the major variables, but
cysteine and other
amino acids were higher in the 24% CP diets. Negative control (NC1) and positive control (PC1) diets were also evaluated. In Experiment 2, the effects of
vitamin E (VE) and GSH were evaluated in the presence and absence of adequate dietary
sulfur amino acids. Negative control (NC2) and positive control (PC2) diets were used. In both experiments, liver
hemorrhage was most severe in quail fed the diets that were formulated to induce hepatic steatosis and limit
oxidant defense capability. Liver
hemorrhage was least severe in quail fed the diets that were formulated to minimize liver
lipid accumulation and support
oxidant defenses. Histological evaluation of affected quail livers showed changes consistent with
FLHS in chicken hens. In Experiment 1, neither CP concentration nor GSH supplementation influenced liver
hemorrhage. In Experiment 2, liver hemorrhagic score was reduced from 3.8 to 2.7 (P < or = .05) by adding VE to the basal diet. The PC2 diet further depressed liver score to only 2.0 (P < or = .05). The data clearly show that Japanese quail are susceptible to
FLHS and indicate that a combination of lipotropic and
antioxidant nutrients is protective against
hemorrhage, even when lipogenic demands are maximized by feeding diets devoid of added fat.