title: Bone response of broiler chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) induced by corticosterone.
abstract: Experiments were conducted with chickens exposed to corticosterone (CORT), with the aim of determining its effects on bone characteristics. At 7 d of age, the experimental birds were injected daily with CORT (4 mg/kg of body mass) for 1 week. CORT administration significantly decreased the body weight while increasing relative liver weight of the chickens and the bone parameters were also decreased. Histology and immunohistochemistry of type X collagen revealed that CORT reduced the lengths of proliferative and prehypertrophic zone in growth plate and the number of positive chondrocytes in the prehypertrophic zone. In conclusion exposure to CORT depressed the growth performance and retarded the longitudinal growth of the long bones by inhibiting the proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes in growth plate in broilers.
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing Jiangsu 210095, China.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Z L
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Hou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000187:drug effects*; D002645:Chickens / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development*; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D024121:Collagen Type X / Q000378:metabolism; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006132:Growth Plate / Q000187:drug effects*; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D024121:Collagen Type X; D003345:Corticosterone