Different regulation of cortisol and corticosterone in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum: Responses to dexamethasone, angiotensin II, potassium, and diet

Abstract

When harmful environmental stimuli occur, glucocorticoids (GCs), cortisol and corticosterone are currently used to evaluate stress status in vertebrates, since their secretions are primarily associated to an increased activity of the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis. To advance in our comprehension about GCs regulation, we evaluated the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum to assess cortisol and corticosterone response to (1) the negative feedback of the HPA axis using the dexamethasone (DEX) suppression test, (2) angiotensin II (Ang II), (3) potassium (K) intake, and (4) different diets (vegetables, grasses, acute fasting). Concomitantly, several indicators of individual condition (body mass, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, blood glucose, triglycerides and hematocrit) were measured for diet treatments. Results confirm the effect of DEX on cortisol and corticosterone in recently captured animals in the field but not on corticosterone in captive animals. Data suggest that Ang II is capable of stimulating corticosterone, but not cortisol, secretion. Neither cortisol nor corticosterone were responsive to K intake. Cortisol levels increased in animals fed with grasses in comparison to those fed with vegetables while corticosterone levels were unaffected by diet type. Moreover, only cortisol responded to fasting. Overall, these results confirm that cortisol and corticosterone are not interchangeable hormones in C. talarum.

Beyond corticosterone: The acute stress response increases DNA damage in house sparrows

“…Individuals were either restrained in an opaque breathable cloth bag for 30 ( n = 5 females, 5 males) or 120 min ( n = 5 females, 5 males); we chose to test two different restraint times to more clearly understand whether the responses we observed in DNA damage, Cort, and uric acid were regulated by the length of the stressor. In addition, these restraint times represent a traditional protocol used in lab and field studies (e.g., Deviche et al, 2014; Viblanc et al, 2018) and a more recent version that holds animals for 120 min to measure negative feedback (e.g., Hau et al, 2015; Love et al, 2017; Vera et al, 2019). In each of these cases, blood samples (<60 μl) from the alar vein were taken at 0, 30, 60, and 120 min and collected in heparinized capillary tubes (Fisherbrand, Pittsburg, PA); birds that were restrained for 30 min were returned to their cages for the 60 and 120‐min samples, while birds in the 120‐min restraint treatment remained in the cloth bag for the entirety of the sampling period.…”

“…We tested two different restraint times (30 and 120 min) to help assess whether changes in the measured parameters are tuned to stressor length. We chose these two times based on the popular assessment of the acute stress response using a 30‐min restraint (e.g., Deviche et al, 2014; Viblanc et al, 2018) and the more recent addition of assessing negative feedback, which requires handling of the animal for up to 120 min (e.g., Hau et al, 2015; Love, Lovern, & DuRant, 2017; Vera, Antenucci, & Zenuto, 2019). If DNA damage is affected by stressor length, we would expect a gradated response with birds restrained for 30 min to exhibit reduced responses relative to those restrained for 120 min.…”

Patterns of cortisol and corticosterone concentrations in humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) baleen are associated with different causes of death

“…In a study of mice, both cortisol and corticosterone increased on Day 1 of stress (using repeated or unpredictable acute and chronic stressors), but afterwards cortisol levels remained stable while corticosterone dramatically declined during repeated restraints ( Gong et al, 2015 ). In another rodent ( Ctenomys talarum ), cortisol responded to fasting but corticosterone did not ( Vera et al , 2019 ). These studies highlight that cortisol and corticosterone are not strictly interchangeable hormones due to their different secretion responsiveness to stimuli.…”

Investigating the behaviors of corticosterone hormone in different solvents by using DFT calculations and experimental data

“…Reasonable correlations were found among the predicted IR, Raman and UV spectra with the corresponding experimental ones [56]. The calculations of gap values [54] and some descriptors were performed, as suggested by Parr and Pearson [59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68], because the prediction of reactivities and behaviours in the three media are of interest for this hormone with anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties [20,21,23,27,[30][31][32][35][36][37][39][40][41][42][43][44].…”

“…The IUPAC name of corticosterone is (11β)-11,21-dihydroxypregn-4-ene-3,20-dione although it is also known as 11β,21-dihydroxyprogesterone or simply as 17-deoxycortisol . The adrenal gland produces this hormone with antiinflammatory and immunosuppressive properties [20,21,23,27,[30][31][32][35][36][37][39][40][41][42][43][44]. So far, there are a lot of articles related to structural, chemical and biological studies on glucocorticoids, from experimental studies by using spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques up to different theoretical studies because these species present dual regulation effects on the immune function which are strongly dependent on the concentration.…”