Background: Heat stress during summer impairs reproductive performance in sows, causing summer infertility. Cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) plays a crucial role in steroid hormone metabolism in the liver and has been shown to be upregulated under stress conditions. However, the effect of seasonal heat stress on CYP1A2 expression in sow ovaries remains poorly understood. Methods: Ovaries were collected from crossbred sows during different seasons in Korea. The control group (CON) was exposed to optimal temperatures for swine rearing (22.0-24.5℃) during spring, while the heat-stressed group (HS) experienced high temperatures (30.5-37.0℃) during summer. Temperature-humidity index (THI) was calculated to assess thermal stress severity. CYP1A2 expression was analyzed using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC), and these values were statistically compared with THI by Pearson’s correlation analysis. Results: The HS exhibited significantly higher THI values compared to the CON (88.11 vs. 66.67). Western blot analysis revealed significant upregulation of CYP1A2 expression in the HS compared to CON (1.89 vs. 1.00). IHC demonstrated that CYP1A2 was specifically localized in granulosa cells of mature follicles, with a significantly higher proportion of CYP1A2-positive follicles in the HS (15.92%) compared to CON (9.08%). When the obtained values were compared with THI values, CYP1A2 expression showed a strong positive correlation with THI (r = 0.41 and 0.74). Conclusions: This study revealed that heat stress can alter the ovarian microenvironment, including the expression of CYP1A2. These findings emphasize the need for effective thermal management strategies to mitigate heat stress-induced reproductive dysfunction in livestock production.

Because multiple ovulation embryo transfer (MOET) in cattle includes several benefits such as wide spreading of genetically superior offspring for long distance, this biotechnological method has been widely applied to Hanwoo. When the recipients are not stayed close after embryo recovery from donor, the embryos are moved to other farms via several vehicles (car, train, and airplane). However, air travel induces lesser oxygen level, increased vibration, lower air pressure, higher noise, and increased exposure of cosmic radiation to living things than ground level. It was still unknown that fresh embryos obtained from multiple ovulation of Hanwoo could maintain their fertility after being transported via air plane, the present case report introduced a clinical case of MOET in Hanwoo after shipping fresh embryos via air transportation. The donor was multi-ovulated via follicle-stimulating hormone series of injection, which was followed by a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone injection and artificial insemination twice. The embryos were recovered by the uterine flushing, packed in ministraws, transported to recipients for 6 h including 1 h air flight, and then transferred to the synchronized recipients. During pregnancy diagnosis of early gestation period, 5 of 7 recipients (71.4%) presented no heat signs and showed fetal sacs with fluid under transrectal ultrasonography. After normal gestation period, all recipients naturally delivered healthy calves (male n = 2 and female n = 3) without abortion, stillbirth, and premature birth. The present case report indicated that transportation of fresh embryos for MOET via domestic flight in Korea did not affect to their fertility.