Influence of dietary conjugated linoleic acid isomers on early inflammatory responses in male broiler chickens.

1. The influence of dietary conjugated linoleic acid isomer (CLA, 0 and 10 g/kg) on the metabolic and physiological responses to immune stimulation induced by a single injection of Salmonella enteritidis lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or repeated injections of LPS and Sephadex G-50 was determined in male broiler chicks. 2. In experiment 1, 10-d-old chicks were fed on experimental diets for 14 d and half of the birds fed on each diet were injected intraperitoneally with LPS (1.5 mg/kg body weight). In experiment 2,7-d-old chicks were fed on experimental diets for 18 d. Immune stimulation was started at 19 d old and continued for 5 d. Half of the birds fed on each diet were injected intraperitoneally with 0.25 mg/kg body weight of LPS at 19, 21 and 23 d of age, and with 250 mg/kg body weight of Sephadex at 20 and 22 d of age to stimulate the immune system. 3. In experiment 1, giving CLA prevented an increase in blood heterophil to lymphocyte ratio 7 h after a single injection of LPS, and increases in plasma ceruloplasmin and alpha 1 acid glycoprotein (AGP) 24 h after the injection, but not 7 h after the injection. CLA also prevented a decrease in food intake for 24 h after LPS injection. 4. In experiment 2, the CLA diet partially prevented reductions in body weight gain and weight gain to feed intake ratio caused by repeated injections of LPS and Sephadex. Feeding CLA prevented increases in plasma ceruloplasmin and AGP at 24 d of age caused by repeated injections of LPS and Sephadex, but not at 20 d of age. 5. These results suggest that feeding CLA alleviates some undesirable metabolic and physiological changes induced by immunological stimulation in male broiler chicks.