Journal of thermal biology最新文献

{"title":"Intracerebroventricular injection of taurine affords thermotolerance and regulates mitochondrial thermogenic gene expression in pectoralis muscle in neonatal chicks exposed to high ambient temperature","authors":"Mohamed Z. Elhussiny ,&nbsp;Haruka Nishimura ,&nbsp;Shogo Haraguchi ,&nbsp;Elizabeth R. Gilbert ,&nbsp;Mark A. Cline ,&nbsp;John F. Cockrem ,&nbsp;Eiki Takahashi ,&nbsp;Yoshimitsu Ouchi ,&nbsp;Takashi Bungo ,&nbsp;Vishwajit S. Chowdhury","doi":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104238","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104238","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of taurine can induce hypothermia and attenuate stress behaviors in neonatal chicks under control thermoneutral temperature (CT) conditions. While, its ability to withstand heat stress (thermotolerance) has not identified yet. Thus, the objective of this study was to examine the effects of ICV taurine effects on thermoregulation, mitochondrial thermogenic gene expression, and amino acid metabolism in 5-day-old Julia male chick exposed to either high ambient temperature <strong>(</strong>HT<strong>)</strong> or CT conditions. Procedures were performed in the absence of food with water available after injections. The results showed that ICV injection of taurine reduced the magnitude of temperature rises in heat-exposed chicks (afforded thermotolerance). Central taurine increased gene expression of avian uncoupling protein mRNA in pectoral muscle under CT and HT. However, avian peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α, avian adenine nucleotide translocase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I mRNA were decreased in chicks that were administered taurine under CT and HT. Diencephalic tryptophan, taurine and 3-methylhistidine were increased, while glutamic acid was decreased following taurine treatment under both CT and HT. Moreover, central taurine caused to reduce plasma triacylglycerol and uric acid concentrations. In conclusion, central taurine administration reduced temperature rises and was associated with changes in gene expression of mitochondrial thermogenic factors in heat-exposed fasted chicks. The changes in the mitochondrial thermogenic genes in muscle and amino acid concentrations in the brain suggest that skeletal muscle and central nervous system metabolism may be involved in the effects of taurine on thermoregulation in chicks under both CT and HT.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17428,"journal":{"name":"Journal of thermal biology","volume":"132 ","pages":"Article 104238"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144916267","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Response of rice flower carp (Cyprinus carpio var.) to high-temperature stress: Mechanisms and limits of tolerance","authors":"Chunxing Cheng ,&nbsp;Wenfei Tian ,&nbsp;Jinyou Wei ,&nbsp;Linli Li ,&nbsp;Haizhen Tan ,&nbsp;Zhengjun Wu ,&nbsp;Jiaoyun Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104244","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104244","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change presents a considerable challenge to the sustainable development of aquaculture. Research on the impact of high-temperature stress on rice flower carp (<em>Cyprinus carpio</em> var.) is still limited. In this study, rice flower carp (<em>Cyprinus carpio</em> var.) were exposed to four temperature treatments for 14 days: CK (control, 26 °C), TL (low temperature, 28 °C), TM (medium temperature, 30 °C), and TH (high temperature, 32 °C). The findings revealed that high temperatures significantly influenced the diversity of gut microbiota. Moreover, high-temperature stress disrupted the structural integrity of intestinal and liver tissues, causing notable damage. It also impaired the antioxidant system, leading to the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and inducing oxidative stress. At the transcriptional level, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with the protein processing pathway (e.g., <em>HSP40</em>, <em>HSP70</em>, <em>Bip</em>) and the PPAR (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor) signaling pathway (e.g., <em>PPARδ</em>, <em>CPT1</em>) were significantly upregulated during temperature acclimation. However, further temperature increases inhibited their expression, highlighting their crucial roles in the high-temperature acclimation of rice flower carp. In conclusion, rice flower carp displayed a degree of tolerance to temperatures up to 30 °C. Beyond this threshold, their health and physiological functions were adversely affected. Our study provides a valuable reference for understanding the impact of high-temperature stress on aquatic animals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17428,"journal":{"name":"Journal of thermal biology","volume":"132 ","pages":"Article 104244"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144890263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Higher temperatures shorten inter-nesting periods in olive ridley turtles","authors":"Laura Fuentes-Tejada ,&nbsp;Pilar Santidrián Tomillo ,&nbsp;Chelsea E. Durr ,&nbsp;Daniel Oliveira Cutrim ,&nbsp;Verónica Valverde-Cantillo ,&nbsp;Frank V. Paladino ,&nbsp;Nathan J. Robinson","doi":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104249","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104249","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change is impacting sea turtles worldwide with the effects varying between species and populations. For example, rising temperatures have variable effects on the duration of the inter-nesting period (IP)—the time between two consecutive nests during a single nesting season. Specifically, a negative correlation between water temperature and IP has been reported in green (<em>Chelonia mydas</em>), hawksbill (<em>Eretmochelys imbricata</em>), and loggerhead (<em>Caretta caretta</em>) turtles. In contrast, previous studies have shown no correlation for olive ridley turtles (<em>Lepidochelys olivacea</em>). Here, we assessed whether this lack of a correlation in olive ridley turtles was a product of the small sample size used in previous studies (n_max = 11). We used capture-mark-recapture data over 14 years to calculate the IP of olive ridley turtles (n = 96) nesting on two different beaches in Costa Rica. Next, we calculated mean sea surface temperature (SST) during each IP within estimated inter-nesting areas (225 km²), as inferred from previous olive ridley telemetry studies, and using data from NASA's multi-scale ultra-high-resolution sensor. Mean (±SD) IP was 22.5 ± 6.0 d (range: 13–41 d) and mean SST was 28.0 ± 0.6 °C (range: 26.1–29.5 °C). We observed a statistically significant negative relationship between SST and IP suggesting that elevated temperatures at inter-nesting habitats influence the phenology of olive ridley turtles as previously observed in other hard-shelled sea turtle species. Thus, we postulate that elevated temperatures due to climate change may influence the timing of nesting seasons for solitary nesting olive ridley turtles and may even alter timing of the olive ridley mass nesting aggregations known as <em>arribadas</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17428,"journal":{"name":"Journal of thermal biology","volume":"132 ","pages":"Article 104249"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144892160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Predicting potential climate-driven changes in activity time for the critically endangered Kaputar rock skink (Egernia roomi)","authors":"Daniel T. Roberts,&nbsp;Martín Iglesias,&nbsp;Jules E. Farquhar ,&nbsp;David G. Chapple","doi":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104242","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104242","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High-elevation ectotherms are vulnerable to climate change due to their restricted ranges, limited dispersal capacity, and reliance on external temperatures for physiological regulation. In Australia, montane regions are limited in extent and elevation, making their cold-adapted fauna especially sensitive to warming. <em>Egernia roomi</em> (Kaputar rock skink) is a Critically Endangered, crevice-dwelling lizard endemic to the high-elevation areas of Mount Kaputar, New South Wales, Australia. Despite its elevated conservation status, little is known about its thermal ecology or climate sensitivity. We projected potential impacts of climate change on thermal activity by quantifying the thermal buffering capacity of rock crevices, and modelling changes in activity time under future climate scenarios. Field-deployed operative temperature models were used to compare crevice and exposed microhabitats across the species' activity season. These data were combined with biophysical modelling (NicheMapR) to simulate body temperature, activity time, and water loss under present and projected climatic conditions. Crevices consistently provided strong thermal buffering, remaining up to 28 °C cooler than exposed surfaces during the day. NicheMapR model predictions aligned with observed temperatures, and predicted substantial increases in daily thermal activity time under moderate to high emissions scenarios (up to +1.6 h/day by 2090 under RCP8.5). These findings offer insight into the species’ thermoregulatory potential and highlight the importance of fine-scale microhabitat features in shaping climate vulnerability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17428,"journal":{"name":"Journal of thermal biology","volume":"132 ","pages":"Article 104242"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144893251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of heat stress on paper wasps from different climates","authors":"Astrid Bay Amstrup ,&nbsp;Helmut Kovac ,&nbsp;Helmut Käfer ,&nbsp;Anton Stabentheiner ,&nbsp;Jesper Givskov Sørensen","doi":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104188","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104188","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In a warming world, mechanisms for coping with stressfully high temperatures are of great importance to ectotherms such as insects. Among these mechanisms is the Heat Shock Response, which aids in recovery from heat stress and increases thermal resistance. The primitively eusocial paper wasps (<em>Polistes</em> spp.) are found across widely varying thermal environments, showcasing their adaptability with regard to temperature. We investigated the Heat Shock Response in paper wasp adults by measuring the expression of heat shock proteins (<em>hsp70</em>, <em>hsp83</em>, <em>hsc70</em>) under control conditions (22–24 °C) or following a heat exposure (42 °C or 44 °C). Additionally, we measured heat stress resistance as time to knockdown. The wasps were collected from three climatic regions (Alpine, temperate, Mediterranean) and included three closely related species (<em>P. biglumis</em>, <em>P. dominula</em>, <em>P. gallicus</em>) to investigate if they used the Heat Shock Response differently. We found evidence of species-specific basal expression under control conditions, with the Mediterranean <em>P. gallicus</em> showing the highest expression. Both <em>hsp70</em> and <em>hsp83</em> were found to be highly responsive to heat stress. The results of the time to knockdown assay indicated a difference in both basal tolerance and in the response to heat stress between species and climates of origin. Overall, the study shows the multifunctionality of the Heat Shock Response, as the utilization differed between species depending on geographical origins. The results suggest that a quick adaptive utilization of the Heat Shock Response could be one of the physiological traits allowing paper wasp species to inhabit such widely different thermal environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17428,"journal":{"name":"Journal of thermal biology","volume":"132 ","pages":"Article 104188"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144841282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Temperature-induced metabolic performance in early life stages of two brachyuran crabs","authors":"Kerry-Ann van der Walt ,&nbsp;Seshnee Reddy ,&nbsp;Antony M. Knights ,&nbsp;Louise B. Firth ,&nbsp;Francesca Porri","doi":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104252","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104252","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding marine species' metabolic responses to short- and long-term temperature variation is critical for predicting the resilience of communities and ecosystems at local and global scales. This study investigated the effect of temperature on the routine metabolic rate (RMR) across the zoea and megalopa stages of two brachyuran species, <em>Hymenosoma orbiculare</em> and <em>Pinnotheres</em> sp. Respirometry results under temperatures ranging from 11 to 25 °C revealed stage- and species-specific metabolic responses. In <em>H. orbiculare</em>, RMR in the megalopa life stage increased steeply and significantly at 22 °C, whereas the zoea life stage showed no significant change across the temperature range tested. For <em>Pinnotheres</em> sp., the megalopa life stage also exhibited significant RMR increases above 19 °C, while the zoea life stage showed stable RMR. These results demonstrate that megalopae, particularly <em>H. orbiculare</em>, are more metabolically sensitive to acute warming, operating closer to their physiological limits, while zoeae maintain relative stability, but may be constrained by limited plasticity under sustained warming. Species-level comparisons indicate that <em>H. orbiculare</em><em>,</em> with its higher and more variable RMR, is more vulnerable than <em>Pinnotheres</em> sp., whose larval stages maintain comparatively stable metabolism. This study highlights the importance of understanding life-stage- and species-specific thermal responses to better predict larval survival, recruitment, and resilience under future climate warming.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17428,"journal":{"name":"Journal of thermal biology","volume":"132 ","pages":"Article 104252"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144996595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fall-like acclimation alters mitochondrial function and substrate use in freeze-tolerant crickets","authors":"Nicolas Pichaud ,&nbsp;Hichem A. Menail ,&nbsp;Kenechukwu C. Ojukwu ,&nbsp;Pier Morin ,&nbsp;Jantina Toxopeus","doi":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104253","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104253","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Acclimation to low temperatures in insects involves complex metabolic adjustments to ensure survival. Notably, cryoprotectants including glycerol, trehalose and proline can accumulate in insects to promote freeze tolerance. Interestingly, these metabolites can also be converted to metabolic fuels sustaining mitochondrial ATP production. This study investigates the metabolic shifts in the freeze-tolerant cricket <em>Gryllus veletis</em> during fall-like acclimation, focusing on mitochondrial function and its possible link with cryoprotectant accumulation. We hypothesized that fall-like acclimation promotes a shift in mitochondrial substrate utilization within the fat body tissue of crickets, transitioning from a reliance on substrates that donate electrons to complex I (e.g., carbohydrates and fatty acids) toward increased utilization of alternative substrates, such as glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P), which can be derived from glycerol. We demonstrated that acclimation leads to lower glycogen content in the fat body, concomitant with increased pyruvate kinase activity, suggesting increased carbon flux through glycolysis. Moreover, we observed decreased overall mitochondrial oxygen consumption and enzymatic activity of cytochrome <em>c</em> oxidase. Interestingly, while overall mitochondrial capacity decreased, the relative contribution of G3P to mitochondrial metabolism increased, supported by increased enzymatic activity of mitochondrial G3P dehydrogenase. Thus, fall-like acclimation appears to induce a metabolic shift in crickets, redirecting metabolites away from the tricarboxylic acid cycle and towards the production of G3P, which subsequently sustains mitochondrial respiration. This study reveals a key mechanism associated with the development of freeze tolerance in crickets, which could also be important for other cold- and freeze-tolerant insect species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17428,"journal":{"name":"Journal of thermal biology","volume":"132 ","pages":"Article 104253"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144903424","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A comprehensive understanding of thermal tolerance in Percocypris pingi (Tchang, 1930) under different acclimation temperatures supported by behavioral assessments","authors":"Yongyao Guo (郭勇垚) ,&nbsp;Tong Li (李童) ,&nbsp;Li Liu (刘丽) ,&nbsp;Tiancai Li (李天才) ,&nbsp;Longjun Deng (邓龙君) ,&nbsp;Siyi Zhu (朱思艺) ,&nbsp;Shun Zhong (钟顺) ,&nbsp;Qingjie Wang (王庆杰) ,&nbsp;Dongjie Wang (王冬杰) ,&nbsp;Wei Luo (罗伟) ,&nbsp;Zongjun Du (杜宗君)","doi":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104233","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104233","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study assessed the thermal limits of <em>Percocypris pingi</em>, initially reared at 9.86 °C. Fish were short-term acclimated to 12 °C, 18 °C, and 24 °C for two weeks, and their CT_max and CT_min were determined. A separate group underwent long-term acclimation in outdoor conditions, where water temperatures averaged 2.66 °C higher than the species' natural habitat. In September, when temperatures reached 28.91 °C, their CT_max was re-evaluated. Behavioral indicators—swimming speed, shoal cohesion, and temperature preference—were used to support thermal tolerance assessments. Our findings indicate that <em>P. pingi</em> exhibits a narrow thermal tolerance range. Specifically, fish acclimated at 12 °C, 18 °C, 24 °C and long-term acclimation of 28.91 °C showed CT_max values of 33.11 °C, 34.26 °C, 34.55 °C and 35.01 °C. Although CT_max increases only slightly with higher acclimation temperatures, recovery after the CT_max measurement was significantly impaired in the group acclimated at 24 °C for a short term. Only 13.33 % of individuals recovered within 30 min compared to 100 % in other groups. Behavioral analyses showed stable swimming speeds near CT_max in the 18 °C and 24 °C groups, but heightened activity in the 12 °C group. Additionally, shoaling behavior became more dispersed during CT_max testing. Temperature preference tests indicated a consistent inclination toward cooler zones (12–18 °C), suggesting that <em>P. pingi</em> may actively seek thermal refuges in natural environments to mitigate thermal stress. Habitat temperatures (19.5–27.6 °C) remain below the species’ thermal tolerance (&gt;33 °C), according to WorldClim data. Our temperature and behavioral data provide a reliable assessment of thermal risks for <em>P. pingi</em> and offer guidance for its conservation under climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17428,"journal":{"name":"Journal of thermal biology","volume":"132 ","pages":"Article 104233"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144886256","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stage-specific and cumulative effects of heat stress on male and female reproductive performance in Drosophila melanogaster","authors":"Abhishek Meena,&nbsp;Komal Maggu,&nbsp;Alessio N. De Nardo,&nbsp;Viktor Kovalov,&nbsp;Benjamin Eggs,&nbsp;Stefan Lüpold","doi":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104213","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104213","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Frequent heat events, driven by climate change, pose significant threats to biodiversity, particularly for insects and other ectothermic species with limited thermoregulatory capacities. Beyond affecting survival, heat stress can severely impair reproductive fitness. Previous studies have typically examined the effects of heat events on single reproductive stages or sexes. However, the thermal sensitivity likely varies across sex-specific reproductive stages, from gonad development to post-mating gamete interactions. Here, we investigated the timing- and sex-specific effects of heat stress across key reproductive stages in <em>Drosophila melanogaster.</em> Using a full-factorial design, we exposed males and females to heat stress during development, as premating adults, and after mating to assess stage-specific and cumulative impacts on reproductive performance. Our results revealed the highest thermal sensitivity during post-mating sperm storage by females, where even brief heat stress critically reduced reproductive output. Pre-mating adult heat exposure also affected both sexes, but less severely, whilst developmental heat exposure had the least impact and mostly on males. These findings highlight the critical role of timing and sex-specific reproductive stages in mediating thermal fertility. Our study provides novel insights into the vulnerability of sex-specific reproductive stages to heat stress, offering essential knowledge for predicting more accurate population dynamics and persistence under increasingly variable thermal conditions driven by climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17428,"journal":{"name":"Journal of thermal biology","volume":"132 ","pages":"Article 104213"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144763684","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of nucleation temperature and hydroxyethyl starch on ice crystal growth: Implications for cell viability during extreme temperature fluctuations","authors":"Nishaka William ,&nbsp;Anika Rahman ,&nbsp;Jason P. Acker","doi":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104234","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104234","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Extreme temperature fluctuations during routine handling and shipping of cryopreserved cell products significantly compromise product quality in ways that extend beyond the duration and peak temperature of the fluctuation. The type of cryoprotectant used and the initial ice nucleation temperature influence ice crystal growth during rewarming events, in turn impacting cell survival. Using a cryomicroscope together with temperature profiles recorded in cord-blood units, ice crystal growth was tracked through five transient-warming events (TWEs) that peaked at −30 °C, −20 °C, or −10 °C. Initial freezing conditions were modified either by adding 6 % (w/v) hydroxyethyl starch (HES) or by lowering the ice-nucleation temperature by 10 °C. Across five TWEs, ice-crystal area saw the greatest increase when the peak rewarming temperature was −10 °C. Although adding HES further accelerated this recrystallization, it still protected Jurkat cells after a single TWE. Lowering the nucleation temperature also improved viability in samples warmed to −20 °C, regardless of HES supplementation. These findings show that ice crystal growth is not the sole cause of injury during transient rewarming; other temperature-dependent stresses also play a role. Importantly, careful optimisation of cryoprotectant composition and nucleation temperature can bolster cellular resilience to temperature excursions, potentially reducing quality losses during the storage and transport of cryopreserved therapeutics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17428,"journal":{"name":"Journal of thermal biology","volume":"132 ","pages":"Article 104234"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144996594","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}