Protective effect of resveratrol against hepatic damage induced by heat stress in a rat model is associated with the regulation of oxidative stress and inflammation

Heat stress jeopardizes humans and animals health, and results in enormous economic loss in public health care and livestock production. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of resveratrol on hepatic oxidative stress and inflammation in heat-stressed rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were orally fed with 100 mg resveratrol/kg body weight/day prior to heat stress (40 degrees C per day for 1.5 h) exposure for 3 consecutive days. Serum and liver samples were collected for the analysis of hepatic injury, redox status and immune response. The results showed that the heat-stress-induced increased aspartate aminotransferase activities in the serum, aberrant hepatic histology, excessive hepatic malondialdehyde and tumor necrosis factor alpha concentrations, and up regulation of heat shock protein 70, superoxide dismutase 1, glutathione peroxidase 1, toll-like receptor 4 and interleukin 10 mRNA expression in the liver were mitigated by oral resveratrol treatment. Collectively, the beneficial effects of resveratrol on hepatic damage induced by heat stress were associated with the regulation of oxidative stress and inflammation.