Mitigation of heat stress-related complications by a yeast fermentate product

Abstract

Heat stress results in a multitude of biological and physiological responses which can become lethal if not properly managed. It has been shown that heat stress causes significant adverse effects in both human and animals. Different approaches have been proposed to mitigate the adverse effects caused by heat stress, among which are special diet and probiotics. We characterized the effect of the yeast fermentate EpiCor (EH) on the prevention of heat stress-related complications in rats. We found that increasing the body temperature of animals from 37.1±0.2 to 40.6±0.2°C by exposure to heat (45°C for 25min) resulted in significant morphological changes in the intestine. Villi height and total mucosal thickness decreased in heat-stressed rats pre-treated with PBS in comparison with control animals not exposed to the heat. Oral treatment of rats with EH before heat stress prevented the traumatic effects of heat on the intestine. Changes in intestinal morphology of heat-stressed rats, pre-treated with PBS resulted in significant elevation of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) level in the serum of these animals. Pre-treatment with EH was effective in the prevention of LPS release into the bloodstream of heat-stressed rats. Our study revealed that elevation of body temperature also resulted in a significant increase of the concentration of vesicles released by erythrocytes in rats, pre-treated with PBS. This is an indication of a pathological impact of heat on the erythrocyte structure. Treatment of rats with EH completely protected their erythrocytes from this heat-induced pathology. Finally, exposure to heat stress conditions resulted in a significant increase of white blood cells in rats. In the group of animals pre-treated with EH before heat stress, the white blood cell count remained the same as in non-heated controls. These results showed the protective effect of the EH product in the prevention of complications, caused by heat stress.

Potential Use of Gut Microbiota Composition as a Biomarker of Heat Stress in Monogastric Species: A Review

“…Image analysis on intestinal histology is a common way to measure morphological indicators for loss in intestinal integrity [ 25 ]. Villus height, crypt depth, mucosal thickness, and villus height to crypt depth ratio are typical features generally measured from intestinal tissues for integrity evaluation [ 17 , 25 , 26 ]. An approximate 20% decrease in villus height measures of animals under heat stress has been reported across porcine and poultry studies [ 17 , 27 ].…”

“…However, the crypt depth then decreased on the seventh day in heat-stressed pigs compared with individuals in the thermoneutral group [ 27 ]. The total mucosal thickness decreased in rats under heat stress compared to the control [ 26 ]. To be noticed, different sections along the gut tract exhibited different responses to heat stress in terms of those indicators mentioned above in birds [ 17 , 25 ].…”

Dietary supplementation of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product attenuates exercise-induced stress markers in young horses

“…Supplementation with a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product in rats appeared to provide both moderate immune-enhancing effects in addition to affecting anti-inflammatory response parameters ( Evans et al, 2012 ); this demonstrates its potential to favorably modulate immune responses without excessive suppression or stimulation of the overall immune activity. In addition, supplementation with the same S. cerevisiae fermentation product decreased the negative effects of heat stress in rats and broiler chickens ( Giblot Ducray et al, 2016 ; Price et al, 2018 ). In horses, S. cerevisiae fermentation product supplementation enhanced submaximal exercise performance ( Beil et al, 1990 ; Glade and Campbell-Taylor, 1990 ; Miller-Graber et al, 1994 ; Wickler, 2002 ) and increased the digestibility of low-quality forage ( Morgan et al, 2007 ).…”

Morphological alterations in the jejunal mucosa of aged rats and the possible protective role of green tea

“…All morphometric measurements were made using a Leica QWin 500 image analyzer (Leica, Wetzlar, Germany). Measurements were taken in 10 randomly selected non-overlapping fields from jejunal section of each animal according to the method described by Giblot et al [24]. For the measurements only sections cut along the crypt's axis were used.…”