Validating a Non-Invasive Method for Assessing Cortisol Concentrations in Scraped Epidermal Skin from Common Bottlenose Dolphins and Belugas
Society is showing a growing concern about the welfare of cetaceans in captivity as well as cetaceans in the wild threatened by anthropogenic disturbances. The study of the physiological stress response is increasingly being used to address cetacean conservation and welfare issues. Within it, a newl...
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2024
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:0056fe2904844109878812988e3e23dd 2024-09-15T17:59:03+00:00 Validating a Non-Invasive Method for Assessing Cortisol Concentrations in Scraped Epidermal Skin from Common Bottlenose Dolphins and Belugas Clara Agustí Xavier Manteca Daniel García-Párraga Oriol Tallo-Parra 2024-05-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14091377 https://doaj.org/article/0056fe2904844109878812988e3e23dd EN eng MDPI AG https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/9/1377 https://doaj.org/toc/2076-2615 doi:10.3390/ani14091377 2076-2615 https://doaj.org/article/0056fe2904844109878812988e3e23dd Animals, Vol 14, Iss 9, p 1377 (2024) cortisol skin stratum corneum keratin steroid hormones cetacean Veterinary medicine SF600-1100 Zoology QL1-991 article 2024 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14091377 2024-08-05T17:49:24Z Society is showing a growing concern about the welfare of cetaceans in captivity as well as cetaceans in the wild threatened by anthropogenic disturbances. The study of the physiological stress response is increasingly being used to address cetacean conservation and welfare issues. Within it, a newly described technique of extracting cortisol from epidermal desquamation may serve as a non-invasive, more integrated measure of a cetacean’s stress response and welfare. However, confounding factors are common when measuring glucocorticoid hormones. In this study, we validated a steroid hormone extraction protocol and the use of a commercial enzyme immunoassay (EIA) test to measure cortisol concentrations in common bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) and beluga ( Delphinapterus leucas ) epidermal samples. Moreover, we examined the effect of sample mass and body location on cortisol concentrations. Validation tests (i.e., assay specificity, accuracy, precision, and sensitivity) suggested that the method was suitable for the quantification of cortisol concentrations. Cortisol was extracted from small samples (0.01 g), but the amount of cortisol detected and the variability between duplicate extractions increased as the sample mass decreased. In common bottlenose dolphins, epidermal skin cortisol concentrations did not vary significantly across body locations while there was a significant effect of the individual. Overall, we present a contribution towards advancing and standardizing epidermis hormone assessments in cetaceans. Article in Journal/Newspaper Beluga Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Animals 14 9 1377 |
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Open Polar |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
cortisol skin stratum corneum keratin steroid hormones cetacean Veterinary medicine SF600-1100 Zoology QL1-991 |
spellingShingle |
cortisol skin stratum corneum keratin steroid hormones cetacean Veterinary medicine SF600-1100 Zoology QL1-991 Clara Agustí Xavier Manteca Daniel García-Párraga Oriol Tallo-Parra Validating a Non-Invasive Method for Assessing Cortisol Concentrations in Scraped Epidermal Skin from Common Bottlenose Dolphins and Belugas |
topic_facet |
cortisol skin stratum corneum keratin steroid hormones cetacean Veterinary medicine SF600-1100 Zoology QL1-991 |
description |
Society is showing a growing concern about the welfare of cetaceans in captivity as well as cetaceans in the wild threatened by anthropogenic disturbances. The study of the physiological stress response is increasingly being used to address cetacean conservation and welfare issues. Within it, a newly described technique of extracting cortisol from epidermal desquamation may serve as a non-invasive, more integrated measure of a cetacean’s stress response and welfare. However, confounding factors are common when measuring glucocorticoid hormones. In this study, we validated a steroid hormone extraction protocol and the use of a commercial enzyme immunoassay (EIA) test to measure cortisol concentrations in common bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) and beluga ( Delphinapterus leucas ) epidermal samples. Moreover, we examined the effect of sample mass and body location on cortisol concentrations. Validation tests (i.e., assay specificity, accuracy, precision, and sensitivity) suggested that the method was suitable for the quantification of cortisol concentrations. Cortisol was extracted from small samples (0.01 g), but the amount of cortisol detected and the variability between duplicate extractions increased as the sample mass decreased. In common bottlenose dolphins, epidermal skin cortisol concentrations did not vary significantly across body locations while there was a significant effect of the individual. Overall, we present a contribution towards advancing and standardizing epidermis hormone assessments in cetaceans. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Clara Agustí Xavier Manteca Daniel García-Párraga Oriol Tallo-Parra |
author_facet |
Clara Agustí Xavier Manteca Daniel García-Párraga Oriol Tallo-Parra |
author_sort |
Clara Agustí |
title |
Validating a Non-Invasive Method for Assessing Cortisol Concentrations in Scraped Epidermal Skin from Common Bottlenose Dolphins and Belugas |
title_short |
Validating a Non-Invasive Method for Assessing Cortisol Concentrations in Scraped Epidermal Skin from Common Bottlenose Dolphins and Belugas |
title_full |
Validating a Non-Invasive Method for Assessing Cortisol Concentrations in Scraped Epidermal Skin from Common Bottlenose Dolphins and Belugas |
title_fullStr |
Validating a Non-Invasive Method for Assessing Cortisol Concentrations in Scraped Epidermal Skin from Common Bottlenose Dolphins and Belugas |
title_full_unstemmed |
Validating a Non-Invasive Method for Assessing Cortisol Concentrations in Scraped Epidermal Skin from Common Bottlenose Dolphins and Belugas |
title_sort |
validating a non-invasive method for assessing cortisol concentrations in scraped epidermal skin from common bottlenose dolphins and belugas |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14091377 https://doaj.org/article/0056fe2904844109878812988e3e23dd |
genre |
Beluga Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas |
genre_facet |
Beluga Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas |
op_source |
Animals, Vol 14, Iss 9, p 1377 (2024) |
op_relation |
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/9/1377 https://doaj.org/toc/2076-2615 doi:10.3390/ani14091377 2076-2615 https://doaj.org/article/0056fe2904844109878812988e3e23dd |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14091377 |
container_title |
Animals |
container_volume |
14 |
container_issue |
9 |
container_start_page |
1377 |
_version_ |
1810435994455900160 |