Abstract
Egg production, an important economic trait in the poultry industry, is sensitive to heat stress. The hypothalamus is a crucial center for thermoregulation by detecting temperature changes and regulating the autonomic nervous system in poultry. Baihu decoction (BH), which contains four ingredients (Rhizoma Anemarrhenae, Gypsum Fibrosum, Radix Glycyrrhizae, and Semen Oryzae Nonglutinosae), is a traditional Chinese medicinal formula for clearing heat. Our study aimed to investigate the changes in gene transcription levels in the hypothalamus of laying hens treated with heat stress with and without BH using RNA sequencing. A total of 223 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the heat-treated group compared with the control group and 613 DEGs were identified in the BH group compared with the heat-treated group. Heat shock led to significant changes in the expression of multiple genes involved in the "neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction" pathway. Moreover, feeding BH led to significant upregulation in the expression of eight genes encoding heat shock proteins (HSPs), which were highlighted as candidates to control the "protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)" pathway. These results provide the novel insight that BH responds to heat stress by participating in regulation of the ER signaling pathway and HSPs expression.