Identification of ghrelin in fertilized eggs of chicken

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine whether ghrelin was present in the internal contents of eggs. Ghrelin in the internal contents of fertilized eggs incubated for 0 to 5 days was measured by a time-resolved fluoro-immunoassay. Ghrelin was identified in both yolk and albumen of the fresh fertilized eggs before incubation with a higher concentration in the yolk than albumen. The concentration in the whole fertilized egg internal contents (mixture of yolk, albumen and embryo) did not show significant changes during 5 days of incubation. These results suggest that ghrelin is contained in the internal contents of fertilized eggs, which may affect the functions of embryonic cells during early stage of development in chickens. © 2009 Japan Poultry Science Association.