Dietary coenzyme Q(10) may improve the growth performance and antioxidant status in quails exposed to cold stress

Abstract

In this study, the effects of coenzyme Q(10) (CoQ(10)) on growth performance, antioxidant status and organ weights in cold-stressed Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were investigated. During the experiment, a 2 x 3 factorial design was employed with two environmental temperatures (ET) and three levels of CoQ(10) (0, 20 and 40 mg/kg). A total of 180 one-day-old male quails were randomly allocated into 6 groups with 6 replicates with 5 birds in each replicate. The birds were fed in two separate rooms at either 22 +/- 2 degrees C for 24 h/day (thermoneutral, TN) or 12 +/- 2 degrees C for 8 h/day (cold stress, CS; between 09:00-17:00) followed by 22 +/- 2 degrees C for 16 h/day. CoQ(10) addition into diet increased final body weight, body weight gain and cumulative feed intake only in CS regardless of the used dose. It was stated that CoQ(10) supplementation did not exert influence on serum and liver superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and liver total antioxidant status (TAS) in TN conditions, but increased these parameters in CS; however in liver the higher CoQ(10) dose was required to obtain the statistically positive effect. When quails were exposed to CS a higher dose of CoQ(10) caused a more pronounced decreased in serum malondialdehyde (MDA) level than the lower one; however the effect of CoQ(10) on liver MDA level was shown regardless of the used dose. The obtained results show that CoQ(10) supplementation reverses the negative effects of CS on growth performance, antioxidant status and organ weights in quails. The caused may effects partly associated with direct antioxidant properties of CoQ(10) as well as the synergistic efficacy of CoQ(10) with SOD activity.