Analysis of the electrogastrokinetic changes in a hyperthermia model of rat

Heat stress is a condition that develops when the body absorbs more heat than it can dissipate, leading to hyperthermia and problems such as gastrointestinal dysfunction. Past research suggests that gut dysfunction is highly temperature sensitive, and hyperthermia that alters the gut myoelectric activity should be studied properly through electrogastrography. Ten rats, 5 as controls and 5 as hyperthermic, were used in the experiment. For control conditions, a real-time electrogastrogram (EGG) recording was performed at room temperature, and for the induction of hyperthermia, a 42 ± 1 °C temperature was maintained in a closed incubator for 60 min. The rectal temperature was also taken before and after the exposure. The FFT of a full-length recording and five segments, each of 15 min, were analyzed; the wave shift and total time of occurrence of each wave were closely observed. As per the experiment, more spike pattern waves were observed in the hyperthermic rat model (p < 0.01) compared to the control rat, as the heat stress triggers changes in autonomic nervous activity, particularly through the parasympathetic and sympathetic pathways. This imbalance could lead to increased or irregular gastric electrical activity, converting slow waves to spikes. More spike patterns in EGG were observed due to exposure to hyperthermic conditions, which may have occurred due to gut inflammation, altered gastric motility, as well as ion channel dysregulation.