Cortisol detection in fish scales by enzyme immunoassay: Biochemical and methodological validation

Carbajal, Annaïs; Monclús, Laura; Talló-Parra, Oriol; Sabés-Alsina, M.; Vinyoles, Dolors; López-Béjar, Manel

doi:10.1111/jai.13674

Cited by 27 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Then, scales are washed with ultrapure water and dried before being chopped with scissors. This method has been criticised (Carbajal et al, ) because water could enter scales and wash out cortisol (Bertotto et al, ; De Mercado et al, ). Carbajal et al , (2018) therefore recommended the use of isopropanol, as is used for mammal hair, to remove the thin layer of mucus containing cortisol; i.e ., 3 washes with 3 ml of isopropanol for 2.5 min.…”

Section: Sampling Matrices To Extract Cortisolmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Carbajal et al , (2018) therefore recommended the use of isopropanol, as is used for mammal hair, to remove the thin layer of mucus containing cortisol; i.e ., 3 washes with 3 ml of isopropanol for 2.5 min. Additionnaly, these authors recommended the use of a ball mill rather than cutting with scissors, to obtain an homogeneous powder for extraction (Carbajal et al, ). Both studies (Aerts et al, ; Carbajal et al, ) used methanol as the solvent to extract cortisol.…”

Section: Sampling Matrices To Extract Cortisolmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionnaly, these authors recommended the use of a ball mill rather than cutting with scissors, to obtain an homogeneous powder for extraction (Carbajal et al, ). Both studies (Aerts et al, ; Carbajal et al, ) used methanol as the solvent to extract cortisol. Then, the supernatant was collected and evaporated under nitrogen.…”

Section: Sampling Matrices To Extract Cortisolmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Measuring cortisol, the major stress hormone in fishes

Sadoul

Geffroy

2019

Journal of Fish Biology

223

141

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Stress in teleosts is an increasingly studied topic because of its interaction with growth, reproduction, immune system and ultimately fitness of the animal. Whether it is for evaluating welfare in aquaculture, adaptive capacities in fish ecology, or to investigate effects of human‐induced rapid environmental change, new experimental methods to describe stress physiology in captive or wild fish have flourished. Cortisol has proven to be a reliable indicator of stress and is considered the major stress hormone. Initially principally measured in blood, cortisol measurement methods are now evolving towards lower invasiveness and to allow repeated measurements over time. We present an overview of recent achievements in the field of cortisol measurement in fishes, discussing new alternatives to blood, whole body and eggs as matrices for cortisol measurement, notably mucus, faeces, water, scales and fins. In parallel, new analytical tools are being developed to increase specificity, sensitivity and automation of the measure. The review provides the founding principles of these techniques and introduces their potential as continuous monitoring tools. Finally, we consider promising avenues of research that could be prioritised in the field of stress physiology of fishes.

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Section: Sampling Matrices To Extract Cortisolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sampling Matrices To Extract Cortisolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sampling Matrices To Extract Cortisolmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Measuring cortisol, the major stress hormone in fishes

Sadoul

Geffroy

2019

Journal of Fish Biology

223

141

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“…In other taxa, integumentary structures such as hair, feathers, shed skin or claws are recently gaining attention since they provide an alternative way to measure hormone concentrations integrated over time (Berkvens et al, 2013;Bortolotti et al, 2008;Davenport et al, 2006;Matas et al, 2016). In this direction, fish scales have been recently recognized as a biomaterial that accumulates cortisol (Aerts et al, 2015;Carbajal et al, 2018). Thus far, no research has been done to examine the accurate time course over which scales accumulate cortisol.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this context, a considerable amount of research has reported seasonal variation on cortisol levels (Belanger et al, 2016;Madliger and Love, 2014;Palme, 2005). Given that the assessment of cortisol in fish scales is a recent contribution (Aerts et al, 2015;Carbajal et al, 2018), it is crucial to understand the potential seasonal variation in scale cortisol concentrations (SCC) before using this method as an indicator of HPI axis activity in wild specimens.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in scale cortisol concentrations of a wild freshwater fish: Habitat quality or seasonal influences?

Carbajal

Talló-Parra

Monclús

et al. 2019

General and Comparative Endocrinology

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A significant body of literature suggests that aquatic pollutants can interfere with the physiological function of the fish hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis, and eventually impair the ability to cope with subsequent stressors. For this reason, development of accurate techniques to assess fish stress responses have become of growing interest. Fish scales have been recently recognized as a biomaterial that accumulates cortisol, hence it can be potentially used to assess chronic stress in laboratory conditions. We, therefore, aimed to evaluate the applicability of this novel method for cortisol assessment in fish within their natural environment. Catalan chub (Squalius laietanus) were sampled from two sites; a highly polluted and a less polluted (reference) site, in order to examine if habitat quality could potentially influence the cortisol deposition in scales. We also evaluated the seasonal variation in scale cortisol levels by sampling fish at three different time points during spring-summer 2014. In each sampling, blood was collected to complement the information provided by the scales. Our results demonstrated that blood and scale cortisol levels from individuals inhabiting the reference site were significantly correlated, therefore increasing the applicability of the method as a sensitive-individual measure of fish HPI axis activity, at least in non-polluted habitats. Since different environmental conditions could potentially alter the usefulness of the technique, results highlight that further validation is required to better interpret hormone fluctuations in fish scales. Scale cortisol concentrations were unaffected by habitat quality although fish from the polluted environment presented lower circulating cortisol levels. We detected a seasonal increase in scale cortisol values concurring with an energetically costly period for the species, supporting the idea that the analysis of cortisol in scales reveals changes in the HPI axis activity. Taken together, the present study suggests that cortisol levels in scales are more likely to be influenced by mid-term, intense energetically demanding periods rather than by long-term stressors. Measurement of cortisol in fish scales can open the possibility to study novel spatiotemporal contexts of interest, yet further research is required to better understand its biological relevance.

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Measuring cortisol in fish scales to study stress in wild tropical tuna

et al. 2021

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skipjack (mean 4.75 ± 6.56 ng g −1 ) than in yellowfin (mean 1.65 ± 1.85 ng g −1 ), although the difference was mainly due to four skipjack individuals. Larger datasets would be needed to confirm any species difference in cortisol concentration. The particularly high cortisol concentration observed in four individuals may be due to fish from different schools, suggesting the need for future sampling from free-swimming schools to investigate intra-and inter-school variability in cortisol concentration. This study opens the door for future research, including the collection of scales on tagged individuals, to investigate the links between chronic stress and behavior in these species.

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Cortisol detection in fish scales by enzyme immunoassay: Biochemical and methodological validation

Cited by 27 publications

References 8 publications

Measuring cortisol, the major stress hormone in fishes

Measuring cortisol, the major stress hormone in fishes

Variation in scale cortisol concentrations of a wild freshwater fish: Habitat quality or seasonal influences?

Measuring cortisol in fish scales to study stress in wild tropical tuna

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