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ABSTRACT
The liver is a vital organ in vertebrates and some other animals. The liver also plays a significant role in metabolism, regulation of red blood cells (RBCs), and glucose synthesis and storage. The aim of this study is to study the functional adaptation of the liver during heat stress using liver indices such as: Total and Conjugated Bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), apartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP. Thiry rats were used for this study. They were divided into three groups of ten animals each. Group 1 were exposed to heat for 14 days, group 2 was exposed continuously for 28 days while group 3 was served as control group (no heat exposure). The test group were exposed to heat (temperature of 40 degrees Celsius) for five hours per day. Blood samples were taken from the abdominal aorta at the end of each experiment for liver functional analysis. Results were presented as mean and standard error of mean (SEM). The result showed significant increases in total bilirubin, ALP,AST and ALT(P<0.05, respectively) when compared with controls but mostly on the 28th day. In conclusion, increased total bilirubin in conjuction with increased liver enzymatic activities is associated with heat exposure. Further elucidation of liver adaptation to heat exposure is hereby suggested with a more definitive experimental design.
