title: Effect of dilauryl succinate on reproduction of the cock and hen and preventive effect of vitamin E.
abstract: Fertility of White Leghorn cocks fed a diet containing 12% of dilauryl succinate (LS) for 16 weeks was significantly lower than that of cocks fed the control diet. Little difference in fertility and hatchability of fertile eggs was observed between White Leghorn hens fed the control or LS diets, but the percentage of chicks at hatch, which showed signs of encephalomalacia with lesions on the cerebellum, and the percentage of the hens and offspring having fragile erythrocytes were much higher when LS was fed. Total tocopherol in the plasma of the cocks and hens fed LS and in the eggs laid by the hens fed LS was lower than that in birds fed the control diet, though that of the hens was within the range of plasma tocopherol of normal hens. Offspring of the cocks and hens fed LS died from encephalomalacia earlier than those fed the control diet. These observations with LS feeding were all prevented by oral administration of dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate. The responses of the cocks and hens to LS were compared with those to linoleic acid in the literature. The direct effect of LS, or more likely of monolauryl succinate, independent of peroxides from unsaturated fatty acids was discussed.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D007851:Dodecanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004531:Eggs; D004678:Encephalomalacia / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D005233:Fatty Alcohols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects; D007315:Insemination, Artificial; D008297:Male; D009996:Osmotic Fragility; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D013386:Succinates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D005233:Fatty Alcohols; D013386:Succinates; D014810:Vitamin E; D007851:Dodecanol