Therapeutic effects of mitoquinol during an acute heat stress challenge in growing gilts

• Published in: Journal of animal science 2024-01, Vol.102
• Main Authors: Mayorga, Edith J, Freestone, Alyssa D, Rudolph, Tori E, Roths, Melissa, Abeyta, Megan A, Rodríguez-Jiménez, Sonia, Goetz, Brady M, Opgenorth, Julie, Selsby, Joshua T, Baumgard, Lance H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Female; Gastrointestinal Biology; Gastrointestinal Tract - drug effects; Heat-Shock Response - drug effects; Hot Temperature; Organ Size - drug effects; Organophosphorus Compounds - administration & dosage; Organophosphorus Compounds - pharmacology; Random Allocation; Swine - physiology; Swine Diseases - drug therapy; Ubiquinone - administration & dosage; Ubiquinone - analogs & derivatives; Ubiquinone - pharmacology
• ISSN: 0021-8812; 1525-3163; 1525-3163
• DOI: 10.1093/jas/skae250

Study objectives were to evaluate the effects of mitoquinol (MitoQ) on production parameters, gastrointestinal tract (GIT; stomach and small and large intestines) weight, and circulating leukocytes during a 24-h acute heat stress (HS) challenge. Crossbred gilts [n = 32; 49.1 ± 2.4 kg body weight (BW)] were blocked by BW and randomly assigned to 1 of 4 environmental-therapeutic treatments: 1) thermoneutral (TN) control (n = 8; TNCON), 2) TN and MitoQ (n = 8; TNMitoQ), 3) HS control (n = 8; HSCON), or 4) HS and MitoQ (n = 8; HSMitoQ). Pigs were moved into individual pens and allowed to acclimate for 6 d. The study consisted of 2 experimental periods (P). During P1 (2 d), all pigs remained in TN conditions (20.6 ± 1.5 °C) and were fed ad libitum. During P2 (24 h), pigs were fed ad libitum and exposed to either TN or constant HS (37.3 ± 1.3 °C). Mitoquinol (40 mg/d) was orally administered twice daily (0700 and 1800 hours) during P1 and P2. As expected, pigs exposed to HS had increased rectal temperature, skin temperature, and respiration rate (+1.5 °C, +8.7 °C, and +86 bpm, respectively; P