1. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of different starch sources (corn, wheat, and rice) on the blood glucose level, glycogen content of liver and muscle, expression of GSK-3β and FAS mRNA, abdominal fat weight and abdominal fat deposition in broiler chickens. 2. A total of 360, one-day-old AA (Arbor Acres) broiler chickens were randomly assigned to three treatment groups, each with six replicates, consisting of 20 chickens per replicate, and fed either a corn-, wheat- or rice-based diet for 21 days. The chickens were then subdivided into groups A and B, and the chickens in these two subgroups were processed or sampled for 28 days, respectively. 3. The results indicated that post-prandial time significantly affected the glucose concentration, glycogen content in the liver and breast muscle and expression of GSK-3β and FAS mRNAs (P < 0.05). The expression of the GSK-3β gene in the chicken liver of the corn-based diet group was higher (P < 0.05) than that in the wheat-based diet group, and the expression of the FAS gene in the corn-based diet group was lower (P < 0.05) than that in the wheat-based and rice-based diet groups. Abdominal fat weight and deposition in the corn-based diet group were lower than those of the wheat-based and rice-based diet groups, but these differences were not significant (P > 0.05). 4. The results suggested that the efficiency of glucose absorption in animals might have an effect on the fat deposition efficiency in the liver and that diets with different starch sources might affect fat deposition in chickens.
Keywords: Abdominal fat; blood glucose level; gene expression; glycogen; liver.