Lack of correlation between serum cholesterol levels, lymphocyte plasma membrane fluidity and mitogen responsiveness in young and aged chickens

Abstract

Chickens were studied in an attempt to demonstrate correlations between serum lipid levels and peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) plasma membrane fluidity and mitogen responsiveness: (a) in the laying hen; (b) during aging; and (c) following dietary manipulation of serum cholesterol of young and aged chickens. The membrane fluidity of PLB from laying hens was significantly greater than that of immature birds. However, no direct correlation was found between serum lipid levels. nor the serum free cholesterol/phospholipid (PC/PL) more composition and PBL membrane fluidity in any of the age-groups tested. Likewise, no correlation was found either between serum PC/PI mole ratio or membrane fluidity and mitogen responsiveness of PBL from birds up to 5 years of age nor was there any evidence for a decline in mitogen responsiveness up to this age. Supplementation of diets with 1% cholesterol induced hypercholesterolemia, mainly in the very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) fraction, but membrane fluidity and mitogen responsiveness remained unaffected.