Effect of heat stress on expression of amino acid and glucose transporters in pigs (816.4)

Abstract

Animals exposed to high ambient temperatures (AT) suffer from heat stress (HS), which provokes physiological and metabolic changes. HS seems to affect the gastro intestinal tract integrity hence affecting absorption capacity. An experiment was conducted with 18 pigs (32.4±2.7 kg BW) to examine the effect of natural severe HS (AT up to 45 °C) on expression of amino acid (b0,+, CAT1) and glucose (SLC2A1, GLUT4) transporters in duodenum, jejunum, liver, and Longisimus (LDM) and Semitendinosus (STM) muscles. Treatments (T) were: T1, comfort pigs housed in AT controlled room (22±2 °C) and fed ad libitum (C‐AL); T2, pigs housed as in T1, but feed‐restricted (C‐FR); T3, pigs housed in a room with no climate control (AT raised up to 45 °C; HS). HS pigs consumed about 95% of their ad libitum feed intake, and feed intake of C‐FR was similar to that of HS pigs. All pigs received the same diet and purified water. HS increased relative expression of CAT‐1 (P=0.043) in liver, but reduced it in LDM (P=0.007). HS increased duodenal expression of SLC2A1 (P=0.041), and that of GLUT4 (P=0.063) in STM. Severe HS affects the expression of glucose and amino acid transporters in selected pig tissues.Grant Funding Source: Supported by CONACYT‐México