Comprehensive endocrine response to acute stress in the bottlenose dolphin from serum, blubber, and feces.
Gen Comp Endocrinol
; 266: 178-193, 2018 09 15.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29852162
ABSTRACT
Several hormones are potential indicators of stress in free-ranging animals and provide information on animal health in managed-care settings. In response to stress, glucocorticoids (GC, e.g. cortisol) first appear in circulation but are later incorporated into other tissues (e.g. adipose) or excreted in feces or urine. These alternative matrices can be sampled remotely, or by less invasive means, than required for blood collection and are especially valuable in highly mobile species, like marine mammals. We characterized the timing and magnitude of several hormones in response to a stressor in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and the subsequent incorporation of cortisol into blubber, and its metabolites excreted in feces. We evaluated the endocrine response to an acute stressor in bottlenose dolphins under managed care. We used a standardized stress protocol where dolphins voluntarily beached onto a padded platform and remained out of water for two hours; during the stress test blood samples were collected every 15â¯min and blubber biopsies were collected every hour (0, 60, and 120â¯min). Each subject was studied over five days voluntary blood samples were collected on each of two days prior to the stress test; 1 and 2â¯h after the conclusion of the out-of-water stress test; and on the following two days after the stress test. Fecal samples were collected daily, each afternoon. The acute stressor resulted in increases in circulating ACTH, cortisol, and aldosterone during the stress test, and each returned to baseline levels within 2â¯h of the dolphin's return to water. Both cortisol and aldosterone concentrations were correlated with ACTH, suggesting both corticosteroids are at least partly regulated by ACTH. Thyroid hormone concentrations were generally unaffected by the acute stressor. Blubber cortisol increased during the stress test, and fecal GC excretion was elevated on the day of the stress test. We found that GCs in bottlenose dolphins can recover within hours of acute stress, and that cortisol release can be detected in alternate matrices within a few hours-within 2â¯h in blubber, and 3.5-5â¯h in fecal samples.
Texto completo:
1
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Estrés Fisiológico
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Sistema Endocrino
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Delfín Mular
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Heces
Límite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Año:
2018
Tipo del documento:
Article