RHEOLOGICAL AND INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES IN HEAT – ADAPTED WISTAR RATS

ABSTRACT

Exposure to extreme high temperature has been implicated in physiological changes such as alterations in rheological responses, and heat induced hyperthermia has also been reported to be associated with inflammation. Rheological and inflammatory responses in heat-adapted rats were studied, with the aim of investigating the effects on haematocrit, fibrinogen concentration, relative plasma viscosity, neutrophils count, lymphocytes count and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio. 40 (male and female) Wistar rats were randomly assigned into four experimental groups. Control (10 animals), fed with normal rat chow and water, and were exposed to normal room temperature. The test groups T1 – T3 were exposed to temperature between 37 and 40 degrees Celsius for 5 hours daily. Test group 1 (T1) (10 animals exposed for 14 days), T2 (10 animals exposed for 28 days and T3 (10 animals exposed for 42 days). Each of the group was made up of 5 males and 5 females. At the end of each assigned period of heat exposure, blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture and used for rheological and inflammatory markers using standard methods. The data collected were analyzed statistically using GraphPad Prism 8.1 version.