Effect of Vitamin K Nutrition of the Dam on Hatchability and Prothrombin Levels in the Offspring1

Research Notes EFFECT OF VITAMIN K NUTRITION OF THE DAM ON HATCHABILITY AND PROTHROMBIN LEVELS IN THE OFFSPRING 1 Department

PAUL GRIMINGER of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (Received for publication April 17, 1964)

TABLE 1.—Experimental diets

I

1 Paper of the Journal Series, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, New Brunswick. This research was supported in part by a grant from Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc., Nutley, New Jersey.

Proportions Ingredients

Glucose monohydrate Starch Egg albumen, dried Soybean protein 1 DL-methionine Glycine Corn oil,2 refined Cellulose Mineral mixture 3 Calcium carbonate Vitamin mixture 4 Choline chloride (70%) Total

Maternal (1)

%

17.60 40.00 15.00 6.00 0.05

—

4.00 8.00 4.90 4.00 0.25 0.20 100.00

Offspring (2)

% 39.40 20.00

—

30.00 0.40 0.50 1.00 3.00 4.90

—

0.50 0.30 100.00

1 Assay Protein C-l, Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., Cincinnati, Ohio. 2 Solka Floe, The Brown Co., New York. 3 Fisher et al. (1960). 4 Providing the following levels (mg./kg./diet): Maternal: Thiamine HCl, 20; riboflavin, 20; Capantothenate, 20; pyridoxine HCl, 5; folic acid, 5; biotin, 0.5; cyanocobalamine, 0.05; niacin, 100; ascorbic acid, 100; vitamin A, 10,000 I.U.; vitamin D 3 , 600 I.C.U.; vitamin E, 5. Ojfspring: Thiamine HCl, 25; riboflavin, 16; Ca-pantothenate, 20; pyridoxine HCl, 6; folic acid, 4; biotin, 0.6; cyanocobalamine, 0.02; niacin, 150; ascorbic acid, 100; vitamin A, 10,000 I.U.; vitamin D3, 600 I.C.U.; vitamin E, 5.

sibility is at least being suggested by the experiment. Plasma prothrombin times of the four groups of dams receiving a supplement of vitamin K* or MSBC were similar. Appreciable differences, however, were observed among the average prothrombin times of the offspring of the four groups,

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N order to investigate the passage of vitamin K from dam to offspring, vitamin K-deficient diets (Table 1, Diet 1), supplemented with 0, 1 and 10 mg. of vitamin Ki/kg. diet and with 1 and 10 mg. of menadione sodium bisulfite complex (MSBC), were fed to five groups of five SCWL hens each. The hens were housed in individual laying cages and were artificially inseminated. The eggs produced during the third and fourth week on the experimental diets were incubated, and the chicks that hatched were given a vitamin K-free starting ration (Table 1, Diet 2). Plasma prothrombin times (Griminger and Donis, 1960) of the chicks were determined at one week of age, and of the hens after 4 weeks on the respective experimental diets. Calculations were based on the reciprocals of the prothrombin times. The results of all determinations are shown in Table 2. There was little embryonic mortality before the 18th day of incubation, but between the 18th day and hatching time most embryos from the dams not receiving supplemental vitamin K perished. Hemorrhagic areas were observed on a number of the dead germs. While the number of fertile eggs was insufficient to ascertain a need in excess of 1 mg. of Ki or MSBC/kg. feed for optimum hatchability, such a pos-

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RESEARCH NOTES TABLE 2.—Plasma prothrombin limes of dams and of spring, and hatchability, in relation to vitamin K and menadione supplementation Offspring

Dams

(sec)

2

1

(sec) Hatch No.

(mg./kg. diet) 1 0 1 1 10 10 1 2

22^8 12.8 12.7 12.1 11.9

87.7(2) 54.3(7) 147.0(6) 14.5(4) 27.5(11)

Hatch No. 2 — 31.2(9) 56.8(7) 15.0(9) 16.4(7)

1

2 3

2/18 10/21 14/27 8/13 17/23

1/11 11/24 15/30 10/14 14/18

After four weeks on experimental diets. At one week of age; numbers in brackets refer to chicks alive at that time. Numbers of chicks hatched, and of embryos alive after 18 days of incubation.

measured after one week on a vitamin Kfree diet. The offspring of the dams that were given 10 mg. of vitamin K/kg. diet had appreciably shorter prothrombin times after one week on the K-free diet than the chicks from the dams on the lower K level. The difference between the activity of equal weight doses of MSBC and vitamin Ki was less well-defined. In the first hatch, both levels of Kj promoted significantly shorter prothrombin times than their MSBC equivalents (P < 0.0S). The probability that the indicated superiority of Ki for the offspring of the second hatch is due to chance, however, was 15 and 30%, respectively, for the two levels of supplementation. After the completion of this test my attention was directed to the work of Brubacher et al. (1959), who had compared the influence of menadione bisulfite and vitamin Kx, given to laying hens, on the coagulation time of the offspring under field conditions. This work also indicated a

better transfer of vitamin Kx than of menadione bisulfite to the offspring, and is thus in agreement with the results of our study, conducted under laboratory conditions. In summary, it appears that vitamin K is required for normal embryonic development of the chicken. It is further suggested that vitamin Ki in the ration of the dam may promote higher prothrombin levels in the offspring than equal amounts of menadione sodium bisulfite complex. REFERENCES Brubacher, G., H. Friesecke, K. Streiff und O. Wiss, 1959. Vergleich von Menadion und Vitamin Ki in der tierischen Ernahrung. Intern. Z. Vitaminforsch. 30: 213-217. Fisher, H., P. Griminger, G. A. Leveille and R. Shapiro, 1960. Quantitative aspects of lysine deficiency and amino acid imbalance. J. Nutrition, 7 1 : 213-220. Griminger, P., and O. Donis, 1960. Potency of vitamin Ki and two analogues in counteracting the effects of dicumarol and sulfoquinoxaline in the chick. J. Nutrition, 70: 361-368.

MARCH 29-31. 25TH ANNIVERSARY MEETING, POULTRY AND EGG NATIONAL BOARD, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS FEBRUARY 12-14. FACT FINDING CONFERENCE, INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN POULTRY INDUSTRIES, MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM, KANSAS CITY

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mg.Ki mg.MSBC mg.K, mg.MSBC

Hatchability

Plasma prothrombin times

Vit. K supplement