脱氢表雄酮（Dehydroepiandrosterone, DHEA）是类固醇激素合成过程的中间产物，在循环血液中主要以硫酸酯形式（Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, DHEA-S）存在。DHEA经靶器官中相关酶系的作用，可转化为多种类固醇激素。近年来因其广泛参与机体内一系列重要的生理反应而日益受到重视。DHEA对脂代谢方面的影响已较为肯定，但对肉鸡脂代谢方面的研究很少，其具体作用机理还不是十分清楚。本文选用生长速度快、腹部脂肪沉积多的Arbor Acres肉鸡（简称AA肉鸡）为实验动物，研究外源性DHEA对肉鸡肝脏脂肪代谢的影响；通过建立鸡胚原代肝细胞培养体系，探讨DHEA对鸡胚原代肝细胞脂代谢关键因子基因表达、cAMP/PKA信号通路及相关转录因子的影响，为深入探讨DHEA调控肉鸡脂肪沉积作用提供实验和理论依据。

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a precursor of steroid hormone and its sulfated form is released into the circulation. As a precursor of steroid hormone, DHEA can transfer to several steroid hormones by steroidogenic enzymes in peripheral tissues. It is known to have several physiological effects inculding antiobesity. Although some research has been conducted in the area of DHEA regulation and lipid metabolism in rats and mice, there is little information available on the effect of DHEA on the activities of lipid metabolic hormones and parameters in poultry, especially in broiler chickens. Furthermore, the precise mechanisms by which DHEA exerts its biological actions are not fully understood. Therefore, a study was carried out to examine the effects of DHEA on lipid metabolic hormones and hepatic parameters in AA broiler chickens (a fatty meat-type, and excess fat accumulated in the abdomen). We also investigated whether DHEA activates hepatic lipogenic gene mRNA expression and the cAMP-dependent signaling system in cultured primary chicken hepatocytes and, subsequently, whether DHEA protects against fat deposition by regulation of the transcription factors. The purpose of this study is to provide a theoretical and experimental evidence for DHEA regulation on hepatic lipid metabolism in broiler chickens.