The effect of dietary supplementation of phytogenic plant leaves on expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

Abstract

   Nutrigenomics is an important and emerging field that examines the interactions between feed and genes that affect health and production.This study goes in the same direction; the expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the muscle of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) was evaluated following dietary supplementation with phytogenic feed additives. The experimental trial involved 120-day-old Japanese quail chicks reared for 42 days. Birds were randomly allocated into four treatment groups of 30 birds each: T1 (control), fed a basal diet formulated according to ICAR (2013) recommendations; T2, fed the basal diet supplemented with 1% Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) leaf powder; T3, fed the basal diet supplemented with 1% Poplar (Populus deltoides) leaf powder; and T4, fed the basal diet supplemented with 2% leaf powder comprising 1% Shisham and 1% Poplar. At 42 days of age, birds were slaughtered, and muscle tissue samples were collected for IGF-1 gene expression analysis. Total RNA was isolated, and gene expression was quantified using one-step quantitative real-time Polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). IGF-1 expression was found higher in all phytogenically supplemented groups compared to the control, with the highest fold increase observed in the T4 group. These findings suggest that phytogenic leaf supplementation positively influences muscle protein development, with a synergistic effect observed when multiple phytogenic sources are combined in the diet showing the higher fold increase in the expression level of IGF-1.