Fig. 1

Effect of chronic heat stress on renal function and histology in laying hens. a Plasma levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatine, and albumin in the control (n = 8) or heat stress for 4 weeks (n = 8) hen groups. Data are presented as the mean ± SEM. Statistical analysis was performed by a Student’s t-test. ^*P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. b Representative histological images of Masson’s trichrome stained sections of the control and heat-stressed hen kidneys (upper). Morphometric analysis of the fractional cortical tubular area of Masson’s trichrome stained kidney images (lower). n = 8 for each group. Data are presented as the percentage of the total cortex and mean ± SEM. Statistical analysis was performed using a Student’s t-test. Bars = 100 µm. c The mRNA expression levels of COL1A1, COL1A2, αSMA, and TGFβ were measured by performing real-time PCR and normalized to 18S rRNA. n = 8 in each group. Statistical analysis was performed by a Student’s t-test