Work

Effects of Electrolyte Drink Intake Before Heat Exposure on the Diencephalon, Brain Stem, and Serum Cytokines in Rats

Year: 2019

Type: article

Abstract: Heatstroke damages various organs, such as the brain and heart, either directly by heat exposure or by systemic inflammatory responses because of hypercytokinemia. Electrolyte drink intake before heat exposure might suppress heat exposureinduced cardiac stress. This study aimed to determine how electrolyte drink intake before heat exposure modulates heat exposure-induced damage to the diencephalon and brain stem in a rat model. After giving rats an electrolyte drink or water for 1 week, they were exposed to heat in a CO2 incubator for 90 min at 37°C. Following this, they were decapitated and their diencephalon and brain stem immediately harvested. Total RNA was isolated from these tissues and cDNA was synthesized by reverse transcription. In addition, relative mRNA expression of the Finkel–Biskis–Jinkinsosteosarcoma oncogene (c-fos), heat shock 70 kD protein 1A (Hspa1a), heat shock 70 kD protein 1B (Hspa1b), and heat shock protein B1 (Hspb1) were determined using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results showed that heat exposure significantly upregulates each gene in the diencephalon and brain stem, indicating that heat stress affects these brain areas. Electrolyte drink intake before heat exposure did not modify gene expressions in the brain stem but suppressed the upregulation of c-fos, Hspa1a, and Hspb1 in the diencephalon, the body’s thermoregulatory center. These findings suggested that electrolyte drink intake before heat exposure alleviates heat stress in the diencephalon and might consequently suppress the upregulation of Fos (which regulates biological functions as a transcription factor) and genes related to heat shock proteins, which play a role in cellular protection. Therefore, electrolyte drink intake before heat exposure reduces the intensity of heat stress to the body and improves heat tolerance.

Source: Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB)

Authors: KOZAWA, Shuji, SEKIJIMA, Hidehisa, NATA, Masayuki

Institution: Mie University

Language: English

Topic: Thermoregulation and physiological responses

Subfield: Physiology (medical)

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Award: Effects of pre-heat exposure intake of electrolyte drinks in the rat.