Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the effect of sex steroids and thyroid hormones on free and total cholesterol level of male and female Japanese quail. Mature and immature male and female Japanese quails were fed with commercial poultry laying diet. Peed and water was given ad libitum. In the case of sexually immature birds, the maturation was inhibited by short day photoperiod, while the mature animals were exposed to long day photoperiod. The quantity of free cholesterol in the plasma of mature females was much higher than in the immature or in the male birds. Thus, the ratio of free to total cholesterol is about twofold in the mature females, in comparison to the immatures. Thyroidectomy results an increase only in the case of immature animals. In both cases, the total cholesterol level shows a significant difference compared to the control group. Thyroidectomy has not changed the ratio of free/total cholesterol in any case which is in conformity with the experimental results of the investigations conducted on humans in the matter of correlation between thyroid function and lipid metabolism.

P. Péczely

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Effect of sex steroids and thyroid hormones on free and total cholesterol level of male and female japanese quail