Harnessing herbal supplementation to regulate toll-like receptor expression in heat-stressed nandidurga goats

The immune homeostasis of small ruminants is impacted by heat stress (HS). In this regard, the relative expression of Toll-like receptor (TLR) genes in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) of indigenous Nandidurga goats during heat stress exposure was studied to get an insight on their adaptive capabilities. The experiment was conducted for a 60 days duration in the climate controlled chamber with 24 adult female Nandidurga goats randomly divided into four groups of six animals each. Animals were randomly distributed into four following groups: NDC (n = 6; Control group; standard diet),. NDCS (n = 6; Control Supplement group; standard diet + herbal supplement), NDHS (n = 6; HS group; standard diet + no supplement), and NDHSS (n = 6; HS Supplement group; standard diet + herbal supplement). The results showed that there was significant (p < 0.05) upregulation of TLR1, TLR2, TLR4, TLR5, TLR6, TLR9 and TLR10 genes in NDHS group as compared to NDC group. However, no significant (p > 0.05) difference was reported in the expression of TLR3, TLR7 and TLR8 genes in the experimental groups. Herbal supplementation significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the heat stress-associated expression of TLR1, TLR2, TLR4, TLR5, TLR6, TLR9 and TLR10 in the heat-stressed group. These findings suggest that herbal supplementation modulated the expression of selected TLR genes in the mesenteric lymph nodes of heat-stressed Nandidurga goats. Overall, the findings indicate that heat stress and herbal supplementation were associated with changes in the expression of specific TLR genes; however, the functional implications of these changes for immune responses require further investigation. Thus, the findings highlight the potential of herbal supplements as an effective nutritional strategy for enhancing immune resilience in goats exposed to HS.