title: Maternal effects and beta-carotene assimilation in Canary chicks.
abstract: Carotenoids are pigments responsible for the red, orange and yellow coloration of plants and animals. They may be beneficial in two ways; they have a powerful antioxidant activity, and they can behave as an immunostimulant. Animals however cannot synthesize carotenoids de novo, they must obtain them through their diet. In our experiments on Canaries, we investigated how mothers transfer their dietary carotenoid-related benefits to their offspring; either through the egg, or through the diet (during chicks' feeding). Female Canaries were allowed to access beta-carotene enriched food during egg formation and/or chicks' feeding. We sorted the chicks into four groups using the period when they assimilated the beta-carotene as a variable. The four groups were: (i) before hatching (from yolk), (ii) after hatching (from maternal feeding), (iii) before and after hatching, or (iv) never. Colorimetry and HPLC analysis from sub-samples of yolks confirmed the maternal transfer of dietary carotenoids to the yolk. Our results show that benefits from maternal dietary carotenoids are transferred to the chicks, but according to the period when they are assimilated by the chicks, the physiological effects are different. It was found that the chicks' growth was enhanced when carotenoids were assimilated both before and after hatching. However an increase in cellular immunity efficiency only occurs when the assimilation takes place after hatching.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Ethologie et Cognition Comparées, Université Paris X-Nanterre, BSL, 200 avenue de république, 92001 Nanterre, France. aurelietanvez@gmail.com
authors.forename: Aurélie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tanvez
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amy
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Chastel
authors.forename: Gérard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leboucher
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002171:Canaries / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004527:Egg Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D010063:Ovum / Q000378:metabolism*; D010858:Pigmentation / Q000502:physiology; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004527:Egg Proteins; D019207:beta Carotene