Dietary fatty acid profile and sex influence in the PPARγ gene expression and performance of broiler chickens

This experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of different sources and level of dietary fat (soybean oil، SO; yellow grease، YG and poultry fat، PF in 0%، 2% and 4%) and sex on performance and the gene expression of the peroxisome proliferator activated- receptor gamma (PPARγ)، as a key regulator of adipose differentiation and development. Performance parameters were recorded at the end of each week، and the abdominal adipose tissue was collected from 7-weeks-aged chickens. Total RNA was extracted by RNX reagent. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR was performed to show the treatments differences for PPAR γ gene expression. Results showed that body weight gain and feed intake were not affected by dietary fat supplements nor by their usage level، but broiler sex influenced (p<0. 001) these parameters during period. The results indicated the highest expression of PPARγ was detected by semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR in abdominal fat tissue of chicks fed diets contaning SO and PF (rich in 18:3 and long chain fatty acids) and the females had the higher expression of PPARγ than males. In conclusion، dietary fatty acid profile and sexual hormones may affect the development of broiler abdominal fat by interfering in PPARγ gene expression.