Evaluation of copper nanoparticles on growth, organs histology and DNA damage in Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

The effects of Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) have been investigated on human cells and various experimental animals. However, there is a lack of research on the effects of CuO-NPs specifically in Japanese quails. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine the impact of a low and a high doses of CuO-NPs on the growth performance, DNA damage, and histological structures of the liver, kidney, and heart in Japanese quails. In this experiment 120 one-d-old Japanese quails, divided into three experimental groups (n = 40) as follows: Group 1 served as the control group and fed only basic feed, while Group 2 was fed with 6 mg/kg and group 3 received 18 mg/kg body weight CuO-NPs through oral gavage at weekly intervals until 35 days of age. Our findings revealed that, birds fed with 6 mg/kg body weight had significantly (p < 0.05) higher feed intake and weight gain compared to the group receiving the higher dose (18 mg/kg body weight) during weeks 4 and 5 of the study. Both treatment groups indicated DNA damage and histopathological changes, but these effects were more severe in the higher dose group. These results suggested that the lower dose (6 mg/kg) may serve as a growth promoter, whereas the higher dose (18 mg/kg) is detrimental, leading to not only poor growth but also causing DNA damage and histopathological abnormalities in vital organs of the body.