Effect of Heat Stress on the Core Body Temperature and effect of Temperature Stress on Thyroid Function in Normal Adults Rats

Globally, rats are among the most important non-human mammals in both the natural ecosystems and Laboratory settings; they are the most commonly used models in assessing essential drugs and other substances that can subsequently be used safely in humans. At present, Sub Saharan Africa, and Uganda in particular, faces a scarcity of rats, especially laboratory grown strains. This could probably be attributed to the ongoing climate change characterized by global warming. Core body temperature is a major factor that controls life processes in biological systems by affecting enzymatic activities.The thyroid gland is an important gland that secretes thyroid hormones such as T3 and T4, which control various life processes and metabolism in cells. Most of the available literature on thyroid gland function is limited to humans, who sweat and less furred, but the knowledge on furred and non-sweating animals like rats, which could serve as a good representative in this aspect is inadequate. Prior to the study, a confounding study was carried out on the effect of starvation in normal adult rats.