Chronic heat stress causes liver damage via endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis in broilers

Bingbing Ma; Tong Xing; Jiaolong Li; Lin Zhang; Yun Jiang; Feng Gao

Poultry Science (Oct 2022)

Chronic heat stress causes liver damage via endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis in broilers

Bingbing Ma,
Tong Xing,
Jiaolong Li,
Lin Zhang,
Yun Jiang,
Feng Gao

Affiliations

Bingbing Ma: College of Animal Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Animal Origin Food Production and Safety Guarantee of Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Meat Production and Processing, Quality and Safety Control, Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center of Animal Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, P.R. China
Tong Xing: College of Animal Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Animal Origin Food Production and Safety Guarantee of Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Meat Production and Processing, Quality and Safety Control, Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center of Animal Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, P.R. China
Jiaolong Li: Institute of Agri-Products Processing, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, P.R. China
Lin Zhang: College of Animal Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Animal Origin Food Production and Safety Guarantee of Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Meat Production and Processing, Quality and Safety Control, Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center of Animal Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, P.R. China
Yun Jiang: School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, P.R. China
Feng Gao: College of Animal Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Animal Origin Food Production and Safety Guarantee of Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Meat Production and Processing, Quality and Safety Control, Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center of Animal Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, P.R. China; Corresponding author:

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 101, no. 10
p. 102063

Abstract

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ABSTRACT: Liver is a central metabolic organ, which is sensitive to heat stress. Liver damage affects animals' health and endangers the livestock and poultry industry. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of chronic heat stress-induced liver damage in broiler chickens. Broilers were divided into 3 treatments: normal control group (NOR, 22°C), heat stress group (HS, 32°C) and pair-feeding group (PF, 22°C) for a 7-d and 14-d trial. The results showed that 7 d heat exposure caused microvesicular steatosis and reduced glutamine synthetase activity in broiler liver (P < 0.05). After 14 d of heat exposure, heat stress caused vacuolar degeneration and apoptosis in the liver; elevated liver relative weight and liver glutaminase activity as well as plasma ammonia level (P < 0.05). Additionally, heat stress enhanced GRP78 protein expression and the mRNA expressions of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress responses genes and apoptosis-related genes in broiler liver after 14 d of heat exposure (P < 0.05). In conclusion, chronic heat stress triggered ER stress-induced apoptosis and caused liver damage, which may compromise ammonia detoxification in broiler liver.

Published in Poultry Science

ISSN: 0032-5791 (Print); 1525-3171 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Agriculture: Animal culture
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/poultry-science

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