Effect of Heat Stress on the Core Body Temperature in Normal Adults Rats The Study was Carried out At Makerere University, College uf Health Sciences, Mulago K

Abstract

Globally, rats are among the most important non-human mammals in both the natural ecosystems and Laboratory settings; they are the most commonly used models in assessing essential drugs and other substances that can subsequently be used safely in humans. At present, Sub Saharan Africa, and Uganda in particular, faces scarcity of rats, especially laboratory grown strains. This could probably be attributed to the ongoing climate change characterized by global warming. Core body temperature is a major factor that controls life processes in biological systems by affecting enzymatic activities. Hence, environmental factors that alter core body temperature can hinder metabolic processes, leading to adverse effects such as; dizziness, madness, impairment of the brain function, reduced response to stimuli, improper impaired coordination, locomotion, and heart beat, and may eventually lead to death of the organism. Among such factors, temperature stress has been documented as being key in altering core body temperature of organisms. Core body temperatures can be altered by factors such as; environmental temperatures, drugs, disease. Though much research has been done about the effect of heat stress on core body temperature of mammals, especially man in Sub Saharan Africa, little is known about rats and other essential mammals that lack sweat glands and have furred bodies. This study assessed the effect of temperature stress on the core body temperature in normal adult rats (Rattus norvegicus) living in Sub Saharan Africa, taking those in Uganda as the case study, to avail data that can guide to improved availability and conservative utilization of rats in this region. A total of sixty rats (60) divided into three treatment groups each containing twenty (20). Twenty (20) rats subjected to hypothermia (10 oC) another twenty (20) hyperthermia (41 oC) while the rest kept at the prevailing room temperature of 25oC maintained constant by the thermostat. In each case the rectal temperature measurement estimated the core body temperature by inserting the digital thermometer into the anus before and after treatment. The results indicated that the core body temperature significantly decreased on exposure to hypothermia and insignificantly increased in hyperthermia. Therefore, it was concluded that the core body temperature was affected by hypothermia and not hyperthermia. Thus, hypothermia renders the use Rattus norvegicus ineffective experiment models to represent human beings.