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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2022; 12(10); 1266; doi: 10.3390/ani12101266

Hair Cortisol and DHEA-S in Foals and Mares as a Retrospective Picture of Feto-Maternal Relationship under Physiological and Pathological Conditions.

Abstract: Equine fetal hair starts to grow at around 270 days of pregnancy, and hair collected at birth reflects hormones of the last third of pregnancy. The study aimed to evaluate cortisol (CORT) and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) concentrations and their ratio in the trichological matrix of foals and mares in relation to their clinical parameters; the clinical condition of the neonate (study 1); the housing place at parturition (study 2). In study 1, 107 mare-foal pairs were divided into healthy (group H; n = 56) and sick (group S; n = 51) foals, whereas in study 2, group H was divided into hospital (n = 30) and breeding farm (n = 26) parturition. Steroids from hair were measured using a solid-phase microtiter radioimmunoassay. In study 1, hair CORT concentrations measured in foals did not differ between groups and did not appear to be influenced by clinical parameters. A correlation between foal and mare hair CORT concentrations (p = 0.019; r = 0.312, group H; p = 0.006; r = 0.349, group S) and between CORT and DHEA-S concentrations in foals (p = 0.018; r = 0.282, group H; p < 0.001; r = 0.44, group S) and mares (p = 0.006; r = 0.361, group H; p = 0.027; r = 0.271, group S) exists in both groups. Increased hair DHEA-S concentrations (p = 0.033) and decreased CORT/DHEA-S ratio (p < 0.001) appear to be potential biomarkers of chronic stress in the final third of pregnancy, as well as a potential sign of resilience and allostatic load in sick foals, and deserve further attention in the evaluation of prenatal hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity in the equine species. In study 2, hormone concentrations in the hair of mares hospitalized for attended parturition did not differ from those that were foaled at the breeding farm. This result could be related to a too brief period of hospitalization to cause significant changes in steroid deposition in the mare’s hair.
Publication Date: 2022-05-14 PubMed ID: 35625111PubMed Central: PMC9138058DOI: 10.3390/ani12101266Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

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The study investigates the quantities of hormones cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate in the hair of mares and their foals, and how these might reflect the health condition of the foals and the environments in which the mares gave birth. Findings suggest that high levels of DHEA-S and low ratios of cortisol to DHEA-S could potentially serve as markers for chronic stress or resilience in sick foals in the last third of pregnancy and merit further research.

Research Purpose and Methodology

  • This research aimed to evaluate the levels of two hormones, cortisol (CORT) and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), in the hair of mares and their newborn foals. Specifically, researchers explored the relationship of hormone levels with the health status of the foals and the birth location (hospital or breeding farm) of the mares.
  • The study broke down into two distinct sections.
    • Study 1 examined 107 mare-foal pairs, which were categorized into healthy foals (group H, n = 56)and sick foals (group S, n = 51).
    • Study 2 looked at group H from Study 1, dividing them further depending on the birth location: hospital (n = 30) and breeding farm (n = 26).
  • The researchers applied a solid-phase microtiter radioimmunoassay to measure hormone levels from the hair samples.

Significant Findings

  • No significant difference was observed between the cortisol levels in the hair of healthy and sick foals, nor was there any notable influence from clinical parameters.
  • A correlation was found between the cortisol levels in the hair of mares and their foals from both health groups. Similarly, a relationship was established between cortisol and DHEA-S levels in both foals and mares from both health groups.
  • Elevated levels of DHEA-S and a lowered ratio of cortisol to DHEA-S in hair appeared to indicate potential biomarkers for chronic stress in the final third of pregnancy. These might also signal resilience and a balance amid changing environmental and internal conditions (allostatic load) in sick foals.

Potential Implications and Future Direction

  • The study proposes these potential biomarkers warrant further examination for assessing prenatal activity in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis specific to the equine species.
  • In the second part of the study, no significant variation was found in the hormone concentrations from the hair of mares who gave birth in a hospital versus a breeding farm. The researchers speculate this could be due to the short time frame of hospitalization, suggesting this specific aspect needs to be investigated further in subsequent studies.

Cite This Article

APA
Lanci A, Mariella J, Ellero N, Faoro A, Peric T, Prandi A, Freccero F, Castagnetti C. (2022). Hair Cortisol and DHEA-S in Foals and Mares as a Retrospective Picture of Feto-Maternal Relationship under Physiological and Pathological Conditions. Animals (Basel), 12(10), 1266. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12101266

Publication

ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 12
Issue: 10
PII: 1266

Researcher Affiliations

Lanci, Aliai
  • Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences (DIMEVET), University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, Ozzano dell'Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy.
Mariella, Jole
  • Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences (DIMEVET), University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, Ozzano dell'Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy.
Ellero, Nicola
  • Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences (DIMEVET), University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, Ozzano dell'Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy.
Faoro, Alice
  • Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences (DIMEVET), University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, Ozzano dell'Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy.
Peric, Tanja
  • Department of Agricoltural Food, Environmental and Animal Science (DI4A), University of Udine, Via delle Scienze 206, 33100 Udine, Italy.
Prandi, Alberto
  • Department of Agricoltural Food, Environmental and Animal Science (DI4A), University of Udine, Via delle Scienze 206, 33100 Udine, Italy.
Freccero, Francesca
  • Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences (DIMEVET), University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, Ozzano dell'Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy.
Castagnetti, Carolina
  • Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences (DIMEVET), University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, Ozzano dell'Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy.
  • Health Science and Technologies Interdepartmental Center for Industrial Research (CIRI-SDV), University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, Ozzano dell'Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

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