Heme Oxygenase-1 is Important to the Formation of Eggshell Biliverdin in Chicken

Wang, X.T., Zhao, C.J., Li, J.Y., Xu, G.Y., Lian, L.S., Wu, C.X. and Deng, X.M. 2010. Heme oxygenase-1 is important to the formation of eggshell biliverdin in chicken. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 38: 229–232. We postulated that the pathway of the biliverdin in eggshell was similar to that of the biliverdin in bile and attempted to search some proofs. First, it was found that the mean mRNA expression level of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in the shell glands of the Dongxiang blue-shelled hens (n-6) was about 45.8 times more than that of the Dwarf brown-shelled hens (n-6) with the method of real time quantitative PCR. Second, the solution of hemin (40μ mol/ml), which was the inducer of HO-1 expression, was intraperitoneally injected into the Dongxiang blue-shelled hens (n=6), and the saline water (0.68%) was intraperitoneally injected into the control group (n=6), at 1 ml/kg, once a day, for two consecutive days. After injection with hemin solution, one hen in the treatment group laid a very blue egg, and the content of biliverdin in this shell increased to about 3.1 times as compared with before injection of hemin solution. At the same time, the expression level of HO-1 mRNA in the shell gland of this treated hen laid a very blue egg was about 3.0 times the control hens. These results supported our postulation.