Changes of testis histology parameters and relative expression of TGF-4 &StAR genes in roosters fed CoQ10 and omega 3 fatty acids

In this research, the effect of feeding coQ10 and omega 3 fatty acids on testicular histology and relative expression of TGF-4 & StAR genes in Hubbard roosters was investigated. Forty-eight roosters, at fifty weeks age, were randomly divided into four groups and were subjected to the basal diet supplemented with omega-3 (30gr), coQ10 (400mg) and omega-3+ coQ10 (30gr+400mg) per day for eight successive weeks.At the end of the trial, all birds were killed and two samples were collected from the same testicle one of which was processed for histology, whereas another was snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen to assess relative gene expression. Results showed that seminiferous tubule diameters of experimental groups were significantly improved compared to the control group (P<0.05). However, leydig cell numbers and sertoli cellswere not significantly affected. The relative expression of TGF-4 genes were significantly decreased in three groups compared to control (P<0.05). Birds fed coQ10 and omega-3 had significantly higher StAR transcript level compared to other groups (P<0.05). Results of the present study showed that addition of a mixture of coQ10 and omega-3 fatty acids to rooster`s feed, lead to improvement in testicular histology and genes expression related to spermatogenesis.