Heat Stress as a Barrier to Successful Reproduction and Potential Alleviation Strategies in Cattle
In recent decades, the adverse effects of global warming on all living beings have been unanimously recognized across the world. A high environmental temperature that increases the respiration and rectal temperature of cattle is called heat stress (HS), and it can affect both male and female reprodu...
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/14/2359 |
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| author | Imran Khan Ayman Mesalam Yun Seok Heo Seo-Hyun Lee Ghulam Nabi Il-Keun Kong |
| author_facet | Imran Khan Ayman Mesalam Yun Seok Heo Seo-Hyun Lee Ghulam Nabi Il-Keun Kong |
| author_sort | Imran Khan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In recent decades, the adverse effects of global warming on all living beings have been unanimously recognized across the world. A high environmental temperature that increases the respiration and rectal temperature of cattle is called heat stress (HS), and it can affect both male and female reproductive functions. For successful reproduction and fertilization, mature and healthy oocytes are crucial; however, HS reduces the developmental competence of oocytes, which compromises reproduction. HS disturbs the hormonal balance that plays a crucial role in successful reproduction, particularly in reducing the luteinizing hormone and progesterone levels, which leads to severe problems such as poor follicle development with a poor-quality oocyte and problems related to maturity, silent estrus, abnormal or weak embryo development, and pregnancy loss, resulting in a declining reproduction rate and losses for the cattle industry. Lactating cattle are particularly susceptible to HS and, hence, their reproduction rate is substantially reduced. Additionally, bulls are also affected by HS; during summer, semen quality and sperm motility decline, leading to compromised reproduction. In summer, the conception rate is reduced by 20–30% worldwide. Although various techniques, such as the provision of water sprinklers, shade, and air conditioning, are used during summer, these methods are insufficient to recover the normal reproduction rate and, therefore, special attention is needed to improve reproductive efficiency and minimize the detrimental effect of HS on cattle during summer. The application of advanced reproductive technologies such as the production of embryos in vitro, cryopreservation during the hot season, embryo transfer, and timed artificial insemination may minimize the detrimental effects of HS on livestock reproduction and recover the losses in the cattle industry. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:22:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-73422d5b11f243c99106925a8b6d04cc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:22:34Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-73422d5b11f243c99106925a8b6d04cc2023-11-18T18:01:19ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-07-011314235910.3390/ani13142359Heat Stress as a Barrier to Successful Reproduction and Potential Alleviation Strategies in CattleImran Khan0Ayman Mesalam1Yun Seok Heo2Seo-Hyun Lee3Ghulam Nabi4Il-Keun Kong5Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Keimyung University, 1095 Dalgubeol-daero, Dalseo-gu, Daegu 42601, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, EgyptDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Keimyung University, 1095 Dalgubeol-daero, Dalseo-gu, Daegu 42601, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Animal Science, Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Four), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of KoreaInstitute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-120 Krakow, PolandDepartment of Animal Science, Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Four), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of KoreaIn recent decades, the adverse effects of global warming on all living beings have been unanimously recognized across the world. A high environmental temperature that increases the respiration and rectal temperature of cattle is called heat stress (HS), and it can affect both male and female reproductive functions. For successful reproduction and fertilization, mature and healthy oocytes are crucial; however, HS reduces the developmental competence of oocytes, which compromises reproduction. HS disturbs the hormonal balance that plays a crucial role in successful reproduction, particularly in reducing the luteinizing hormone and progesterone levels, which leads to severe problems such as poor follicle development with a poor-quality oocyte and problems related to maturity, silent estrus, abnormal or weak embryo development, and pregnancy loss, resulting in a declining reproduction rate and losses for the cattle industry. Lactating cattle are particularly susceptible to HS and, hence, their reproduction rate is substantially reduced. Additionally, bulls are also affected by HS; during summer, semen quality and sperm motility decline, leading to compromised reproduction. In summer, the conception rate is reduced by 20–30% worldwide. Although various techniques, such as the provision of water sprinklers, shade, and air conditioning, are used during summer, these methods are insufficient to recover the normal reproduction rate and, therefore, special attention is needed to improve reproductive efficiency and minimize the detrimental effect of HS on cattle during summer. The application of advanced reproductive technologies such as the production of embryos in vitro, cryopreservation during the hot season, embryo transfer, and timed artificial insemination may minimize the detrimental effects of HS on livestock reproduction and recover the losses in the cattle industry.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/14/2359heat stressreproductionpregnancyembryo development |
| spellingShingle | Imran Khan Ayman Mesalam Yun Seok Heo Seo-Hyun Lee Ghulam Nabi Il-Keun Kong Heat Stress as a Barrier to Successful Reproduction and Potential Alleviation Strategies in Cattle Animals heat stress reproduction pregnancy embryo development |
| title | Heat Stress as a Barrier to Successful Reproduction and Potential Alleviation Strategies in Cattle |
| title_full | Heat Stress as a Barrier to Successful Reproduction and Potential Alleviation Strategies in Cattle |
| title_fullStr | Heat Stress as a Barrier to Successful Reproduction and Potential Alleviation Strategies in Cattle |
| title_full_unstemmed | Heat Stress as a Barrier to Successful Reproduction and Potential Alleviation Strategies in Cattle |
| title_short | Heat Stress as a Barrier to Successful Reproduction and Potential Alleviation Strategies in Cattle |
| title_sort | heat stress as a barrier to successful reproduction and potential alleviation strategies in cattle |
| topic | heat stress reproduction pregnancy embryo development |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/14/2359 |
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