scholarly journals Salivary cortisol as a non-invasive approach to assess stress in dystocic dairy calves

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Levente Kovács ◽  
Fruzsina Luca Kézér ◽  
Szilárd Bodó ◽  
Ferenc Ruff ◽  
Rupert Palme ◽  
...  

AbstractThe intensity and the magnitude of saliva cortisol responses were investigated during the first 48 h following birth in newborn dairy calves which underwent normal (eutocic, EUT, n = 88) and difficult (dystocic, DYS, n = 70) calvings. The effects of parity and body condition of the dam, the duration of parturition, the time spent licking the calf, the sex and birth weight of the calf were also analyzed. Neonatal salivary cortisol concentrations were influenced neither by factors related to the dam (parity, body condition) nor the calf (sex, birth weight). The duration of parturition and the time spent licking the calf also had no effect on salivary cortisol levels. Salivary cortisol concentrations increased rapidly after delivery in both groups to reach their peak levels at 45 and 60 min after delivery in EUT and DYS calves, respectively supporting that the birth process means considerable stress for calves and the immediate postnatal period also appears to be stressful for newborn calves. DYS calves exhibited higher salivary cortisol concentrations compared to EUT ones for 0 (P = 0.022), 15 (P = 0.016), 30 (P = 0.007), 45 (P = 0.003), 60 (P = 0.001) and 120 min (P = 0.001), and for 24 h (P = 0.040), respectively. Peak levels of salivary cortisol and the cortisol release into saliva calculated as AUC were higher in DYS than in EUT calves for the 48-h of the sampling period (P = 0.009 and P = 0.003, respectively). The greater magnitude of saliva cortisol levels in DYS calves compared to EUT ones suggest that difficult parturition means severe stress for bovine neonates and salivary cortisol could be an opportunity for non-invasive assessment of stress during the early neonatal period in cattle.

Retos ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 265-271
Author(s):  
Rogério Santos Aguiar ◽  
Gustavo Casimiro Lopes ◽  
Juliana Brandão Pinto de Castro ◽  
Vitor Ayres Prince ◽  
Mauro Lúcio Mazini Filho ◽  
...  

  This study aimed to evaluate the effects of high-intensity training (HIT) on salivary cortisol levels in physically trained individuals. This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations. The search for scientific articles was carried out on the Scopus and MEDLINE (via PubMed) databases with the terms resistance training, saliva, cortisol, and their synonyms. We included interventions with high-intense resistance training that analyzed the salivary cortisol levels in physically trained men and women. From the 399 articles found, eight studies met the inclusion criteria. A population of 135 physically trained men and 12 women is with an average age of 23.26 ± 3.10 years, body mass of 85.53 ± 12.68 kg, and height of 1.80 ± 0.04 m. The intervention period ranged from 3 to 15 weeks with the use of 1 to 5 sets of 5 to 10 repetitions. Most protocols have been shown to provide significant stimuli to increase the level of cortisol acutely (p<0.05). The practice of HIT seems to be an effective intervention to stimulate the increase in acute and chronic salivary cortisol levels and thus induce possible changes in physiological and hormonal levels. Moreover, cortisol seems to represent physical activity in some populations and may be useful in monitoring physiology in large-scale observational physical activity surveys. However, more research is needed to elucidate the effects of HIT on cortisol and adaptive results. Resumen. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar los efectos del entrenamiento de alta intensidad sobre los niveles de cortisol salival en individuos entrenados físicamente. Esta revisión sistemática siguió las recomendaciones de PRISMA. La búsqueda de artículos científicos se realizó en las bases Scopus y MEDLINE (vía PubMed) con los términos entrenamiento de resistencia, saliva, cortisol y sus sinónimos. Se incluyeron intervenciones con entrenamiento de resistencia de alta intensidad que analizaron los niveles de cortisol salival en hombres y mujeres entrenados físicamente. De los 399 artículos encontrados, ocho estudios cumplieron los criterios de inclusión. Una población de 135 hombres entrenados físicamente y 12 mujeres tiene una edad de 23,26±3,10 años, masa corporal de 85,53±12,68 kg y altura de 1,80±0,04 m. El período de intervención varió de 3 a 15 semanas con el uso de 1 a 5 series de 5 a 10 repeticiones. Se ha demostrado que la mayoría de los protocolos proporcionan estímulos significativos para aumentar el nivel de cortisol de forma aguda (p<0,05). La práctica de entrenamiento de alta intensidad parece ser una intervención eficaz para estimular el aumento de los niveles de cortisol salival agudo y crónico y así inducir posibles cambios en los niveles fisiológicos y hormonales. Además, el cortisol parece representar la actividad física en algunas poblaciones y puede ser útil para monitorear la fisiología en encuestas observacionales de actividad física a gran escala. Sin embargo, se necesita más investigación para dilucidar los efectos de entrenamiento de alta intensidad sobre el cortisol y los resultados adaptativos.


PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e1590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Nemeth ◽  
Elisabeth Pschernig ◽  
Bernard Wallner ◽  
Eva Millesi

Non-invasive measurements of glucocorticoid (GC) concentrations, including cortisol and corticosterone, serve as reliable indicators of adrenocortical activities and physiological stress loads in a variety of species. As an alternative to invasive analyses based on plasma, GC concentrations in saliva still represent single-point-of-time measurements, suitable for studying short-term or acute stress responses, whereas fecal GC metabolites (FGMs) reflect overall stress loads and stress responses after a species-specific time frame in the long-term. In our study species, the domestic guinea pig, GC measurements are commonly used to indicate stress responses to different environmental conditions, but the biological relevance of non-invasive measurements is widely unknown. We therefore established an experimental protocol based on the animals’ natural stress responses to different environmental conditions and compared GC levels in plasma, saliva, and fecal samples during non-stressful social isolations and stressful two-hour social confrontations with unfamiliar individuals. Plasma and saliva cortisol concentrations were significantly increased directly after the social confrontations, and plasma and saliva cortisol levels were strongly correlated. This demonstrates a high biological relevance of GC measurements in saliva. FGM levels measured 20 h afterwards, representing the reported mean gut passage time based on physiological validations, revealed that the overall stress load was not affected by the confrontations, but also no relations to plasma cortisol levels were detected. We therefore measured FGMs in two-hour intervals for 24 h after another social confrontation and detected significantly increased levels after four to twelve hours, reaching peak concentrations already after six hours. Our findings confirm that non-invasive GC measurements in guinea pigs are highly biologically relevant in indicating physiological stress responses compared to circulating levels in plasma in the short- and long-term. Our approach also underlines the importance of detailed investigations on how to use and interpret non-invasive measurements, including the determination of appropriate time points for sample collections.


2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 396-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitch D. VanBruggen ◽  
Anthony C. Hackney ◽  
Robert G. McMurray ◽  
Kristin S. Ondrak

Purpose:The effect of exercise intensity on the tracking of serum and salivary cortisol responses was examined in 12 endurance-trained males (maximal oxygen uptake [VO2max] = 58.2 ± 6.4 mL/kg/min).Methods:Subjects rested for 30 min (control) and exercised on a cycle ergometer for 30 min at 40% (low), 60% (moderate), and 80% (high intensity) of VO2max on separate days. Serum and saliva samples were collected pretrial, immediately posttrial, and 30 min into the recovery period from each trial.Results:Cortisol responses increased significantly for both serum (40.4%; P = .001) and saliva (170.6%; P = .007) only in response to high-intensity exercise. Peak saliva cortisol occurred at 30 min of recovery, whereas peak serum was at the immediate posttrial sampling time point. The association between serum and saliva cortisol across all trials was examined using concordance correlation (Rc) analysis, which accounts for repeated measures. The overall correlation between serum and saliva cortisol levels in all matched samples was significant (Rc = 0.728; P = .001). The scatter plot revealed that salivary cortisol responses tracked closely to those of serum at lower concentrations, but not as well at higher concentrations.Conclusions:Findings suggest salivary measurements of cortisol closely mirror those in the serum and that peak salivary concentrations do not occur until at least 30 min into the recovery from intense exercise.


Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 589
Author(s):  
Lucy J. Jerram ◽  
Steven Van Winden ◽  
Robert C. Fowkes

Automatic milking systems (AMS) are a low-labour alternative to conventional parlours, with previous studies demonstrating that cows vary in their ability to cope with the change to AMS. Cortisol expression can be combined with other measures to assess stress: saliva and hair have the advantage of requiring minimally invasive sampling. No work has investigated the long-term impact of introduction of AMS. The aims of the study were to assess short-term and chronic stress associated with a change in milking system by measuring salivary and hair cortisol levels and to assess the impact on health and production parameters. Cows from one farm changing their milking system were recruited to the study and sampled for saliva (n = 10) and hair (n = 12) before and after installation. Cortisol levels were measured using a salivary cortisol enzyme immunoassay kit. Body condition, lameness and milk parameters of the whole herd were regularly assessed. Salivary cortisol showed no diurnal pattern but was affected by lameness and gestation. Non-lame cows showed a reduction in salivary cortisol after AMS introduction (p < 0.001). Hair cortisol levels increased after AMS, but it was unclear if this change was seasonal. Milk yield increased by 13% and somatic cell count reduced by 28%. Body condition score was consistently good, but lameness remained high throughout the study. Production values alone do not represent high welfare. The high lameness and associated cortisol levels suggest that cow stress requires consideration when changing milking systems.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1074
Author(s):  
Ida Bahnsen ◽  
Kristina V. Riddersholm ◽  
Leonardo V. de Knegt ◽  
Thomas S. Bruun ◽  
Charlotte Amdi

The aim of this study was to investigate herd cortisol levels as an indicator of stress during gestation in three different feeding systems. Twelve commercial Danish herds with 800 to 3050 sows were included, with either free-access feeding stall (Stall), floor feeding (Floor), or electronic sow feeding (ESF; n = 4 herds per system). Saliva samples were collected from 30 sows/herd in the gestation unit for cortisol analysis with an average of 67.2 gestation days for ESF, 72.4 days for Floor, and 68.6 days for Stall. Data on piglet birth weight (PBW) and the percentage of intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR) piglets from 452 litters (9652 piglets, 8677 liveborn) from all 12 herds were obtained on the saliva collection days. The cortisol levels in saliva increased throughout gestation (p < 0.01), and lower concentrations were observed among sows belonging to Stall (4.80 nmol/L), compared to Floor (7.03 nmol/L) and ESF (7.87 nmol/L), and that difference was significant as an independent effect in the case of ESF (p < 0.01). There was no difference between Floor and ESF or Stall and Floor (p > 0.05). An interaction was observed between parity and feeding system, with parities 4–5 in ESF herds having lower levels than other parities within the ESF system (p = 0.02).


Author(s):  
Elena Gonzalez Rodriguez ◽  
Pedro Marques-Vidal ◽  
Bérengère Aubry-Rozier ◽  
Georgios Papadakis ◽  
Martin Preisig ◽  
...  

AbstractSarcopenia, similar to hypercortisolism, is characterized by loss of muscle mass and strength. Cortisol circadian rhythm changes with aging (blunted late-day nadir values) were suggested to contribute to this decline. We aimed to explore the relationship between diurnal salivary cortisol values and sarcopenia diagnosis and its components in postmenopausal women. This is a cross-sectional study within the OsteoLaus population-based cohort in Lausanne (Switzerland). Participants had a body composition assessment by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), a grip strength (GS) measure, and salivary cortisol measures (at awakening, 30 min thereafter, 11 AM (sc-11AM) and 8 PM (sc-8PM)). Associations between salivary cortisol and sarcopenia diagnosed by six different criteria (based on appendicular lean mass (ALM) assessed by DXA, and muscle strength by GS), and its components, were analyzed. 471 women aged > 50 years (63.0 ± 7.5) were included. Various definitions identified different participants as sarcopenic, who consistently presented higher salivary cortisol at 11 AM and/or 8 PM. There were no associations between salivary cortisol levels and ALM measures, either absolute or after correction to height squared (ALM index) or body mass index. GS was inversely correlated to sc-11AM (r = − 0.153, p < 0.001) and sc-8PM (r = − 0.118, p = 0.002). Each 10 nmol/l increase of sc-11AM, respectively sc-8PM, was associated with a GS decrease of 1.758 (SE 0.472) kg, respectively 2.929 (SE 1.115) kg. In postmenopausal women, sarcopenia is associated with higher salivary cortisol levels at 11 AM and 8 PM. An increase of daily free cortisol levels in the physiological range could participate to sarcopenia development by decreasing muscle function in postmenopausal women.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleonora Iob ◽  
Jessie R. Baldwin ◽  
Robert Plomin ◽  
Andrew Steptoe

AbstractDysregulated hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA)-axis function might underlie the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and depression. However, limited research has examined the possible mediating role of the HPA-axis among young people using longitudinal data. Moreover, it remains unclear whether genetic influences could contribute to these associations. Participants were 290 children from the Twins Early Development Study. ACEs were assessed from age 3–11 years. We calculated a cumulative risk score and also derived different ACEs clusters using factor analysis and latent class analysis. HPA-axis activity was indexed by daytime salivary cortisol at age 11. Depressive symptoms were ascertained at age 21. Genetic liability to altered cortisol levels and elevated depressive symptoms was measured using a twin-based method. We performed causal mediation analysis with mixed-effects regression models. The results showed that ACEs cumulative exposure (b = −0.20, p = 0.03), bullying (b = −0.61, p = 0.01), and emotional abuse (b = −0.84, p = 0.02) were associated with lower cortisol levels at age 11. Among participants exposed to multiple ACEs, lower cortisol was related to higher depressive symptoms at age 21 (b = −0.56, p = 0.05). Lower cortisol levels mediated around 10–20% of the total associations of ACEs cumulative exposure, bullying, and dysfunctional parenting/emotional abuse with higher depressive symptoms. Genetic factors contributed to these associations, but the mediation effects of cortisol in the associations of ACEs cumulative exposure (b = 0.16 [0.02–0.34]) and bullying (b = 0.18 [0.01–0.43]) remained when genetic confounding was accounted for. In conclusion, ACEs were linked to elevated depressive symptoms in early adulthood partly through lower cortisol levels in early adolescence, and these relationships were independent of genetic confounding.


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