Heat shock proteins as a key defense mechanism in poultry production under heat stress conditions

Over the past years, the poultry industry has been assigned to greater production performance but has become highly sensitive to environmental changes. The average world temperature has recently risen and is predicted to continue rising. In open-sided houses, poultry species confront high outside temperatures, which cause heat stress (HS) problems. Cellular responses are vital in poultry, as they may lead to identifying confirmed HS biomarkers. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are highly preserved protein families that play a significant role in cell function and cytoprotection against various stressors, including HS. The optimal response in which the cell survives the HS elevates HSPs levels that prevent cellular proteins from damage caused by HS. The HSPs have chaperonic action to ensure that stress-denatured proteins are folded, unfolded, and refolded. The HSP70 and HSP90 are the primary HSPs in poultry with a defensive function during HS. HSP70 was the optimal biological marker for assessing HS among the HSPs studied. The current review attempts to ascertain the value of HSPs as a heat stress defense mechanism in poultry.