Circadian Rhythm of Salivary Cortisol in Asian Elephants (<i>Elephas maximus</i>): A Factor to Consider During Welfare Assessment

Menargues, Asunción; Urios, Vicente; Limiñana, Rubén; Maurí, Montserrat

doi:10.1080/10888705.2012.709157

Cited by 26 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The results presented here support the data previously published on the circadian rhythm of cortisol in urine samples from African and Asian elephants [Brown et al, ]. Salivary cortisol has been measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) in samples taken twice per day (at 07:30 and 17:30) in three Asian elephants, and cortisol concentrations were significantly higher at 07:30 [Menargues et al, ]. This study was carried out at a zoo about 100 km away from the location of the present study and with very similar climate conditions.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Due to the difficulties in obtaining blood samples for measuring GC concentrations and the invasive nature of this procedure (a stressor by itself), truly noninvasive sample media, such as urine and feces, and also minimally invasive samples, such as milk and saliva (which require some animal handling), are increasingly used in animals [Cook, ]. Salivary cortisol has been measured in Asian [Dathe et al, ; Menargues et al, , ,] and African elephants [Kelling, ]. Salivary cortisol is released, as in the blood, according to a circadian rhythm [e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Circadian rhythm of salivary cortisol secretion in female zoo-kept African elephants (Loxodonta africana)

Casares¹,

Silván

Carbonell³

et al. 2016

Zoo Biology

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Salivary samples were collected over a 24-hr period from one group of six juvenile (7-12 years) and one group of three adult (24-25 years) African elephant females, Loxodonta africana, and the cortisol concentration was measured in unextracted samples by EIA. Samples were collected during May, June, and November 2012 (n = 147) using cotton swabs at 4-hr intervals from 20:00 to 20:00 of the next day (seven samples per animal in each trial). The animals are kept under standard zoo management: the herd is maintained in their indoor enclosures until 10:00 and then released into the outdoor enclosures until 21:00-21:30 (May/June) and 18:30-19:00 (November). No adult elephant bull was present at the zoo during this time. The results demonstrate a clear diurnal pattern of cortisol secretion with the lowest concentration observed at 20:00 (2.03 ± 0.08 ng/ml saliva) and the peak concentrations at 08:00 (5.26 ± 0.35 ng/ml saliva). Although the cortisol values were higher in the adult cows compared to the juvenile cows in the May-June period, the differences were not significant. However, the values obtained in November from the juvenile group were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than the concentrations measured in this group in June. In conclusion, salivary cortisol in zoo elephants follows a circadian rhythm (sleep-wake cycle) adapted to daily zoo husbandry routines.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Circadian rhythm of salivary cortisol secretion in female zoo-kept African elephants (Loxodonta africana)

Casares¹,

Silván

Carbonell³

et al. 2016

Zoo Biology

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“…Another issue with making inferences using blood glucocorticoid levels is that they naturally wax and wane throughout the day and night (Menargues et al, 2012). This circadian activity, which has generally reflected higher levels in the morning and lower levels in the evening in diurnal, terrestrial mammals and the opposite pattern in nocturnal mammals, must be controlled for, or else it can result in a significant source of variability.…”

Section: Limits To Using Hpa Axis Activity As An Indication Of Animalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Limits to using HPA axis activity as an indication of animal welfare

Otovic

Hutchinson

2015

ALTEX

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“…The daily peak of GC secretion is synchronized with the onset of the major activity phase, which is associated with significant changes in environmental conditions and an increase in behavioral activity (for a review of the regulation of the circadian rhythm of the HPA‐axis see Kalsbeek et al, 2012). In diurnal species, GC levels peak in the morning, decrease towards the afternoon, reach the trough around midnight and increase again in the second half of the night (Bohák et al, 2013; Coe & Levine, 1995; Ekkel et al, 1996; Kutsukake et al, 2009; Menargues, Urios, Limiñana, & Mauri, 2012, but see Giannetto et al, 2014 for dogs). This general pattern of diurnal GC dynamics has also been described for the African elephant, for which studies have shown that cortisol, the major glucocorticoid in this species, is secreted in high levels in the morning and low levels in the afternoon (Brown, Kersey, Freeman, & Wagener, 2010; Casares et al, 2016; Grand, Kuhar, Leighty, Bettinger, & Laudenslager, 2012; Kelling Swilley, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diurnal variation of salivary cortisol in captive African elephants (Loxodonta africana) under routine management conditions and in relation to a translocation event

et al. 2020

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The present study assessed the diurnal variation in salivary cortisol in captive African elephants during routine management (baseline) and in relation to a potential stressor (translocation) to evaluate to what extent acute stress may affect diurnal cortisol patterns. Under baseline conditions, we collected morning and afternoon saliva samples of 10 animals (three zoos) on different days in two study periods (n = 3-10 per animal, daytime and period). Under stress conditions, we sampled the transported cow (newcomer) and the two cows of the destination zoo before and after the transport in the morning and afternoon (n = 3-9 per animal, daytime and transport phase), as well as after the first introduction of the newcomer to the bull (n = 1 per animal). Cortisol was measured in unextracted samples by enzyme immunoassay. Under baseline conditions, we observed the expected diurnal variation with higher cortisol levels in the morning than in the afternoon. Under stress conditions, neither a significant difference between pre-and posttransport, nor between morning and afternoon levels was found. The percentage difference between morning and afternoon cortisol after the transport, however, was remarkably lower than before the transport in the newcomer potentially indicating a stress response to familiarization. Saliva samples taken immediately after the introduction of the newcomer to the bull revealed a marked cortisol increase. Our findings indicate that stressors may disturb the diurnal cortisol rhythm. Furthermore, provided that samples can be collected promptly, salivary cortisol is a useful minimally invasive measure of physiological stress in the African elephant.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Circadian Rhythm of Salivary Cortisol in Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus): A Factor to Consider During Welfare Assessment

Cited by 26 publications

References 23 publications

Circadian rhythm of salivary cortisol secretion in female zoo-kept African elephants (Loxodonta africana)

Circadian rhythm of salivary cortisol secretion in female zoo-kept African elephants (Loxodonta africana)

Limits to using HPA axis activity as an indication of animal welfare

Diurnal variation of salivary cortisol in captive African elephants (Loxodonta africana) under routine management conditions and in relation to a translocation event

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