Physiologic Factors Which Influence Acidophilia Induced by Stressors in the Chicken

Abstract

Application of cold (4°C) together with wetness, acute anoxia, restraint or injection of saline (0.2 ml), epinephrine (0.2 mg), histamine (0.2 mg), or formaldehyde (0.2 ml, 40%) was followed by an acidophilia in white leghorn cockerels within 4–8 hours; acidophilia which followed injection of cortisone, hydrocortisone, desoxycorticosterone and aldosterone is consistent with the supposition that the above stressors activate the adrenocortical tissue of the chicken. Hypophysectomy markedly inhibited but did not wholly prevent the acidophilia which followed restraint therefore a nonpituitary factor is probably involved in stressor-induced acidophilia. This latter factor could be epinephrine but is probably not histamine since prior injection of antihistaminic agents did not inhibit restraint-induced acidophilia.

The Effect of Bovine Growth Hormone, Desoxycorticosterone Acetate, and Cortisone Acetate on the White Blood Cell Counts of 2-Week-Old Chickens

“…The inability of bovine growth hormone to imitate the action of cortisone acetate in this experiment would tend to strengthen the thesis that GH does not stimulate the adrenal to release appreciable amounts of glucocorticoids in the chicken. Emphasis is placed on the glucocorticoids since consistent increases in heterophil counts in the chicken appear to occur with injections of cortisone acetate, Glick (1958), and hydrocortisone, Newcomer (1958), while variable results occur with DOCA; compare our results with Newcomer (1958). No significant increase in absolute heterophil counts occurred.…”

“…It is apparent also from the initial counts that cortisone acetate alone or in combination with the other hormones will increase the relative heterophil counts while DOCA and GH appear to reduce the percentage of heterophils. The increase in the heterophil counts of chickens in the presence of several different agents and under varying environmental conditions (Newcomer, 1958;Chancellor and Glick, 1960) may, in part, be attributed to the release of ACTH by the pituitary and the stimulation of the adrenal cortex by ACTH. The inability of bovine growth hormone to imitate the action of cortisone acetate in this experiment would tend to strengthen the thesis that GH does not stimulate the adrenal to release appreciable amounts of glucocorticoids in the chicken.…”

Blood: Physical Characteristics, Formed Elements, Hemoglobin, and Coagulation

“…It is known that changes in environment may induce stress, with the consequent release of adrenal corticoids and with changes in leukocyte numbers in mammals and birds. Newcomer (1958) and Besch et al (1967) have shown that physical restraint and the use of ACTH, cortical hormones, and other stressing agents produce a relative increase in number of heterophils in chickens. In mammals such treatments produce a deLeukocytes crease 1ll the eosinophils.…”

Effect of Corticosterone on the Incidence of Amelanosis in Smyth Delayed Amelanotic Line Chickens

“…Effect of glucocorticoids on immune response has been a subject of investigation in many laboratories, and although some of the results conflict, it is generally accepted that glucocorticoids inhibit both cell-mediated (Sato and Glick, 1970;North, 1971;Clamans, 1972) and humoral responses (Thaxton and Siegel, 1973;Gross and Siegel, 1980) as well as inducing leukocytosis (Newcomer, 1958;Glick, 1961), involution of the bursa (Glick, 1964), and lymphopenia and heterophillia (Glick, 1958). This wide variety of effects led Baxter and Harris (1975) to conclude that glucocorticoids have been implicated in having effects on every parameter of the immune response.…”