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. 2018 Nov 1;97(11):4073-4082.
doi: 10.3382/ps/pey256.

Effect of chronic heat stress on some physiological and immunological parameters in different breed of broilers

Yongjie Xu  1   2 , Xiaodan Lai  1   2 , Zhipeng Li  1   2 , Xiquan Zhang  1   2 , Qingbin Luo  1   2
Affiliations

Effect of chronic heat stress on some physiological and immunological parameters in different breed of broilers

Yongjie Xu et al. Poult Sci. .

Abstract

The differences in physiological and immunological parameters and pathological damage to organ tissues exposed to chronic heat stress provide the basis for evaluating heat resistance of different chicken breeds (white recessive rock [WRR] and The Lingshan [LS]). Ninety broilers of each breed were divided equally into a chronic heat stress group and a no heat stress group. The effects of chronic heat stress on the physiological and immunological parameters of broilers were analyzed using flow cytometry, ELISA, RT-qPCR, etc. Under heat stress conditions: (1) H and H/L values were significantly increased (P < 0.01) in the 2 breeds, and were higher in the WRR broilers than in the LS broilers at a late stage (P < 0.05). Although the corticosterone levels were also significantly increased (P < 0.01) in both breeds, they were lower in the 49 d WRR broilers than in the LS broilers (P < 0.01). The number of leukocytes were significantly increased in the 49 d WRR broilers (P < 0.01), whereas the number of CD3+, CD8+ cells, and erythrocytes were significantly reduced (P < 0.05). A significantly (P < 0.01) lower number of CD3+, CD4+ T-lymphocytes, and CD4+/CD8+ were present in WRR compared to that in the LS broilers. (2) The HSP70 transcript was significantly increased in the WRR broilers (P < 0.01), and was higher than the level in the LS broilers. The expression level of HSP70 protein was significantly (P < 0.05) increased in WRR broilers. (3) The WRR broilers developed cardiac and leg muscle inflammatory cellular hyperplasia and local inflammatory lesions, as well as cerebral meningitis and inflammatory hyperplasia of the brain tissue. The LS broilers developed mild cerebral inflammatory hyperplasia and mild inflammatory cellular proliferation in the leg muscle. In conclusion, under heat stress conditions, the relative physiological and immunological parameters were worse in the WRR broilers than in the LS broilers. The WRR broilers showed poor heat tolerance as evidenced from the expression of HSP70 and the extent of histopathological damages.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Comparison of the H, L, and H/L values in blood samples from 2 different broiler breeds (WRR and LS) and under different conditions (H-WRR or H-LS means broilers under heat stress). (a) Means the percentage of heterophil; (b) means the percentage of lymphocyte; (c) means the ratio of heterophil to lymphocyte. Significant differences exist in the values with lower case letters in the same cluster, of the same breed, at the same age (P < 0.05). Highly significant differences exist in the values with upper case letters (P < 0.01).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Comparison of the physiological parameter in blood samples from 2 different broilers and under different conditions. (a) Means the number of erythrocytes; (b) means the number of leukocytes; (c) means the percentage of hematocrit; (d) means the number of platelets; (e) means the concentration of hemoglobin. Significant differences exist in the values with lower case letters in the same cluster, of the same breed, at the same age (P < 0.05). Highly significant differences exist in the values with upper case letters (P < 0.01).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Comparison of the differences in the immunological parameter in 49-day-old broilers and under different conditions. (a) means the percentage of T-lymphocyte subsets; (b) means the ratio of CD4+ to CD8+. Significant differences exist in the values with lower case letters in the same cluster, of the same breed, at the same age (P < 0.05). Highly significant differences exist in the values with upper case letters (P < 0.01).
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Comparison of the serum corticosterone levels (ng/mL) and HSP70 expression in the different broilers and under different conditions. (a) Means content of serum corticosterone; (b) means the HSP70 mRNA expression levels; (c) means the HSP70 protein expression levels, and in the bottom, lane 1: 42-day-old H-WRR, lane 2: 42-day-old WRR. lane 3: 49-day-old H-WRR, lane 4: 49-day-old WRR, lane 5: 42-day-old H-LS, Lane 6: 42-day-old WRR, lane 7: 49-day-old H-LS, lane 8: 49-day-old LS. Significant differences exist in the values with lower case letters in the same cluster, of the same breed, at the same age (P < 0.05). Highly significant differences exist in the values with upper case letters (P < 0.01).
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Histopathological section visualized by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining (×100). (a) Means the brain tissue of LS, (b) means the brain tissue of H-LS, (c) means the brain tissue of WRR, (d) means the brain tissue of H-WRR, (e) means the crosscut leg muscle tissue of LS, (f) means the crosscut leg muscle tissue of H-LS, (g) means the crosscut leg muscle tissue of WRR, (h) means the crosscut leg muscle tissue of H-WRR, (i) means the crosscut cardiac tissue of LS, (j) means the crosscut cardiac tissue of H-LS, (k) means the crosscut cardiac tissue of WRR, and (l) means the crosscut cardiac tissue of H-WRR.
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