Validation of an automated chemiluminescent immunoassay for salivary cortisol measurements in pigs

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to validate an automated immunoassay for cortisol quantification in the saliva of pigs. The assay had intra- and interassay coefficients of variation lower than 16%, in all cases. The limit of detection was 0.016 µg/dl, and the lower quantification limit was 0.197 µg/dl. The assay also demonstrated a high level of accuracy, as determined by linearity under dilution and recovery tests. In addition, this assay was used to quantify cortisol in 2 models of stress: 1 in which animals were immobilized with a nose-snare and 1 in which pigs were transported for a duration of 30 min. In both cases, a significant increase (P < 0.01) in salivary cortisol was detected after the stressful situation. Overall, the assay validated in the present study could be used for the evaluation of cortisol changes in stressful situations.

Validation of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay developed for measuring cortisol concentration in human saliva and serum for its applicability to analyze cortisol in pig saliva

“…There are several methods for analyzing cortisol in saliva [1,2,14,15], the majority of which being immunoassays. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) are widely used in laboratories today.…”

The stress response and exploratory behaviour in Yucatan minipigs (Sus scrofa): Relations to sex and social rank

“…These gregarious, inquisitive animals demonstrate sophisticated social behaviour [36,51], as well as consistent differences between individuals in behavioural responses to novelty [26,40]. Salivary cortisol has been assayed extensively in pigs [20,32,52] and, recently, pigs have been shown to produce measurable increases in the sympathetic markers, sAA [28] and CgA [21], in response to a stressor. The aim of the current study was to investigate the existence of consistent inter-individual variation in exploratory behaviour and reactivity of the two major stress systems, and describe their relationship.…”

Measurement of chromogranin A in porcine saliva: validation of a time-resolved immunofluorometric assay and evaluation of its application as a marker of acute stress

“…Cortisol was analyzed with an immunoassay system (Immulite, Siemens Health Diagnostics, Deerfield, IL, USA) that has been validated in the authors' laboratory for cortisol measurements in porcine saliva samples (Escribano et al, 2012).…”