Alterations to Lipid Parameters in Response to Fig Tree (Ficus carica) Leaf Extract in Chicken Liver Slices

Authors: FARZAD ASADI, MALIHE POURKABIR, ROBIN MACLAREN, ALI SHAHRIARI

Abstract: Lipid storage, particularly in the abdominal cavity, is a major concern in poultry breeding because it affects the net meat yield. The major contributors to lipid storage in the abdominal cavity are hepatic fatty acid synthesis and VLDL secretion. These factors are strongly correlated with the body fatness in the chicken. The aim of our study was to determine if a traditional food supplement, the extract from fig tree leaves (fig tree leaf extract (FTE)), can be used to decrease hepatic triglyceride (TG) content and secretion of TG and cholesterol (TC) from the liver. Livers from 8-week-old roosters (n = 24) with high abdominal fat pad ratios were extracted, sliced, and cultured with increasing concentrations of FTE, insulin and both of them. While insulin significantly increased TG secretion (0.190 ± 0.013 mmol/l), TG content (0.523 ± 0.093 mmol/l) and TC secretion (1.727 ± 0.412 mmol/l) above the basal levels (P < 0.001), when FTE was added these effects were drastically reduced to the basal levels in a concentration-dependent manner (P < 0.001). Furthermore, we showed that in response to 1.7, 2.5 and 3.3 µl of FTE/ml of media hepatic TG content and TG secretion values from the liver significantly decreased in a concentration-dependent manner when compared to the control (P < 0.001). Our results suggest that Ficus carica leaf extract could be a beneficial supplement to modulate TG and TC secretion from the poultry liver.

Keywords: Fig tree leaf, chicken, lipid, liver

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