Effects of levothyroxine and propylthiouracil intake on thyroid hormones, blood parameters and physical performances of Japanese quails ٪

The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effects of two common thyroid gland medications i.e. levothyroxine and propylthiouracil on physical performance, hormones and blood parameters of Japanese quails. The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design including 144 Japanese quail chicks that were randomly distributed in 3 different groups 4 replicates for each, while each replicate included 12 quails. Our comparative experiments control group (no drug), levothyroxine treatment and propylthiouracil treatment. The performance parameters were recorded and compared at 21 and 35 days. The blood samples were drawn at the end of the experiments period for specific hormones analysis using ELISA technique and blood parameters assessments using a biochemical auto-analyzer system. The results showed that at 21 days of age, feed conversion ratio and feed intake of propylthiouracil decreased (p0.05).According to our results, it was found that the drugs used for the regulation of the thyroid gland activity in man, have no significant effects on Japanese quails. It can be concluded that this species is resistant to these chemical agents and levels of levothyroxine and propylthiouracil commonly prescribed for human consumption have very low effects on secreting, cells of quail thyroid glands. However, there is a necessity to determine the physiological reasons for this resistance.