Quails and hens’ blood cells chemiluminescence comparative evaluation under different physiological states

The paper describes the results of chemiluminescence analysis of blood cells of quails and chickens in different functional states. The spontaneous and antigeninduced in vitro lucigenin- and luminol-dependent chemiluminescence of blood cells of birds of day-old age, during growth, at the beginning and at the peak of oviposition, was studied. Due to different early maturity, the age of functional load in chickens and quails was different. The amplitude of the maximum activity of chemiluminescence (CL) was determined; time to peak; total volumes of radicals; activation index. It was found that in chickens and quails, the production of lucigenin-dependent free radicals in a spontaneous and activated state predominates in blood cells. Free radical processes in quails, especially with spontaneous chemiluminescence, proceed 2–6 times slower than in chickens. The functional tension of the body in the midst of oviposition initiates the formation of maximum volumes of reactive oxygen species both at rest and during antigenic stimulation of cells with latex particles, which characterizes the high activity of prooxidant systems and a decrease in the level of antioxidant defense of the body. High values of the activation index in quails in all periods of the study, except for the day-old age, indicate significant potential abilities of blood cells to generate free radicals in response to antigenic irritation, which is probably one of the reasons for the high resistance of quails to infectious diseases. The obtained data supplement the information on oxygen metabolism and mechanisms of nonspecific resistance of the poultry organism at different functional loads and have theoretical and applied significance in veterinary medicine and poultry farming