Effects of Exogenous Ghrelin on Feeding, Drinking and Growth Hormone Secretion in African Ostrich Chicks

Background: Ghrelin is widely distributed in an animal's body, playing important biological roles. In mammals, Ghrelin can stimulate food intake and weight gain, but in poultry, it inhibits food intake and drinking. We aimed to determine the effect of Ghrelin on feeding, drinking, body weight and growth hormone (GH) content of African ostrich chicks.Methods: Sixteen 40-day-old African ostrich chicks were randomly divided into four groups and injected intravenously with saline (control) or Ghrelin (10, 50 and 100 mu g/kg) for 7 days. The feeding, drinking and growth hormone (GH) levels using measurement method and radioimmunoassay were determined.Result: The results show that exogenous Ghrelin increased the feed intake rate, the drinking rate and the secretion of GH in the ostriches.