Assessment of PPAR-α Gene Expression in Hens’ Liver After Administration of Q10 and Endosulfan

Endosulfan is a long-lasting organochlorine pesticide, whereas coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a widespread antioxidant mainly found in mitochondria. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α), a regulatory transcription factor, plays a crucial role in hepatic regulation. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of CoQ10 and endosulfan on PPAR-α gene expression in broiler chicken livers. A total of 40 one-day-old broiler chickens weighing 42 ± 2 grams were randomly divided into four groups. The first group served as the control and received distilled water by gavage (T1). The second group received CoQ10 orally at 40 mg/kg body weight (T2), the third group received endosulfan orally at 30 ppm (T3), and the fourth group received the combination of CoQ10 at 40 mg/kg body weight and 30 ppm of endosulfan (T4). On days 27 and 42 of the study, 20 chickens were euthanized, and liver samples were collected for analysis of PPAR-α gene expression by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). On days 27 and 42, all treatments exhibited significant downregulation of PPAR-α gene expression compared to the control group. The most significant suppression was observed in the endosulfan with CoQ10 (T4) group, followed by the endosulfan group (T3), whereas CoQ10 (T2) exhibited the lowest level of downregulation among the treatment groups. On day 42, all treatment groups exhibited elevated PPAR-α gene expression compared to the control group. The highest PPAR-α expression level was observed in Group T2, followed by Group T3, while Group T4 demonstrated the lowest degree of upregulation among the treatment groups. The current findings indicated an age-dependent reversal pattern in PPAR-α expression. On day 27, chickens demonstrated a consistent downregulation of PPAR-α, whereas on day 42, an upregulation was observed. The current results indicated that CoQ10 administration produced differential stimulatory effects on PPAR-α gene expression.