William Johnston, Sally Adil, Catherine Cao, Niepukolie Nipu, Jan A. Mennigen
{"title":"Fish models to explore epigenetic determinants of hypoxia-tolerance","authors":"William Johnston, Sally Adil, Catherine Cao, Niepukolie Nipu, Jan A. Mennigen","doi":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2025.111811","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2025.111811","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The occurrence of environmental hypoxia in freshwater and marine aquatic systems has increased over the last century and is predicted to further increase with climate change. As members of the largest extant vertebrate group, freshwater fishes, and to a much lesser extent marine fishes, are vulnerable to increased occurrence of hypoxia. This is important as fishes render important ecosystem services and have important cultural and economic roles. Evolutionarily successful, fishes have adapted to diverse aquatic freshwater and marine habitats with different oxygen conditions. While some fishes exhibit genetic adaptions to tolerate hypoxia and even anoxia, others are limited to oxygen-rich habitats. Recent advances in molecular epigenetics have shown that some epigenetic machinery, especially histone- and DNA demethylases, is directly dependent on oxygen and modulates important transcription-regulating epigenetic marks in the process. At the post-transcriptional level, hypoxia has been shown to affect non-coding microRNA abundance. Together, this evidence adds a new molecular epigenetic basis to study hypoxia tolerance in fishes. Here, we review the documented and predicted changes in environmental hypoxia in aquatic systems and discuss the diversity and comparative physiology of hypoxia tolerance in fishes, including molecular and physiological adaptations. We then discuss how recent mechanistic advances in environmental epigenetics can inform future work probing the role of oxygen-dependent epigenetic marks in shaping organismal hypoxia-tolerance in fishes with a focus on within- and between-species variation, acclimation, inter- and multigenerational plasticity, and multiple climate-change stressors. We conclude by describing the translational potential of this approach for conservation physiology, ecotoxicology, and aquaculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55237,"journal":{"name":"Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A-Molecular & Integrative Physiology","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 111811"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142959272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ann-Chang Cheng , Chien-Ju Lin , Sz-Tsan Wang , Chun-Hung Liu
{"title":"Salinity stress impairs disease resistance in white shrimp, Penaeus vannamei through AMPK pathway, ameliorated by dietary glucose-mediated energy homeostasis","authors":"Ann-Chang Cheng , Chien-Ju Lin , Sz-Tsan Wang , Chun-Hung Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111799","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111799","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study presents a comprehensive examination of the physiological adaptations of white shrimp (<em>Penaeus vannamei</em>) to low-salinity conditions and evaluates the effects of supplementing dietary glucose on disease resistance. Compared to the control group, shrimp cultured at a salinity of 4 psu exhibit significantly elevated expression levels of adenosine 5′-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the hepatopancreas, which leads to increased energy expenditure and a corresponding reduction in resistance to infection by <em>Vibrio alginolyticus</em>. The suppression of AMPK via dsAMPK treatment markedly enhances disease resistance. Moreover, shrimp raised in low salinity conditions exhibit downregulation of mTOR-associated molecules, including Lipin-1 and hypoxia-inducible factor 1-α (HIF-1α), both of which are essential for immune regulation. Metabolic assessments revealed reduced ATP levels and disrupted ATP/AMP and ATP/ADP ratios, indicating energy imbalance under low salinity stress. Notably, supplementing the diet with 1 % glucose significantly increased glycogen reserves and ATP content, stabilized hemolymph glucose levels, and upregulated glycolysis-related genes, thereby optimizing energy metabolism and enhancing resilience to stress. This study underscores that AMPK activation in response to low salinity conditions leads to increased energy expenditure, which in turn lowers disease resistance. Furthermore, it underscores the critical role of strategic dietary management in maintaining energy homeostasis and improving disease resistance in white shrimp under stressful environmental conditions associated with climate change, offering valuable insights for aquaculture nutrition strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55237,"journal":{"name":"Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A-Molecular & Integrative Physiology","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 111799"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142959276","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yuanyuan Wang , Fangyu Cui , Yexin Yang , Haiyan Liang , Yuli Wu , Aiguo Zhou , Yi Liu , Zhiyong Jiang , Jintao Peng , Xidong Mu
{"title":"Evolutionary insights and expression patterns of sex-related gene families in the zig-zag eel Mastacembelus armatus","authors":"Yuanyuan Wang , Fangyu Cui , Yexin Yang , Haiyan Liang , Yuli Wu , Aiguo Zhou , Yi Liu , Zhiyong Jiang , Jintao Peng , Xidong Mu","doi":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2025.111804","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2025.111804","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The zig-zag eel exhibits both sexual dimorphism and sex reversal, making it crucial to understand the mechanisms of sex determination and differentiation. Additionally, the wild populations of the zig-zag eel are significantly declining, emphasizing the need for urgent conservation efforts. In this study, we identified 7 Dmrt, 62 HMG-box, and 73 TGF-β family members in the zig-zag eel genome. Evolutionary analysis revealed that the HMG-box and TGF-β families in the zig-zag eel are primarily characterized by purifying selection. Furthermore, we identified 52 differentially expressed genes between males and females, with more male-biased genes than female-biased genes within these three gene families. <em>ZzDmrt2a</em> was highly expressed in the ovary, while <em>ZzDmrt2b</em> was highly expressed in the testis. Interestingly, <em>Zzgdf9</em>, located on the Y chromosome, was significantly expressed in the ovary. Our results highlight the complexity of sex differentiation mechanisms and underscores the importance of further research to elucidate the specific functions and regulatory networks of these sex-biased genes. Such insights could inform breeding strategies in aquaculture, contributing to the conservation and management of the zig-zag eel.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55237,"journal":{"name":"Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A-Molecular & Integrative Physiology","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 111804"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142933329","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Saccular potentials of the male round goby, Neogobius melanostomus, a hearing non-specialist","authors":"Brooke J. Vetter","doi":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111802","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111802","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The round goby (<em>Neogobius melanostomus</em>) is a benthic fish species native to Central Eurasia but has colonized much of the waterways in the Laurentian Great Lakes in North America. While they are known to produce acoustic signals that aid in conspecific agonistic and reproductive interactions, the species does not possess a swim bladder and thus does not have any hearing specializations that would allow for sound pressure detection. Here, the auditory evoked potentials from saccular hair cells were characterized to determine the frequency response and auditory sensitivity of the saccule. Saccular potentials were recorded from the medial region of the saccular maculae during playback of single frequency acoustic stimuli (105–605 Hz). Auditory tuning curves based on both sound pressure (dB re: 1 μPa.) and particle acceleration (dB re: 1 ms<sup>−2</sup>) suggest that the saccule is most sensitive to 105 and 125 Hz and that the highest thresholds occurred at frequencies ≥205 Hz.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55237,"journal":{"name":"Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A-Molecular & Integrative Physiology","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 111802"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142933340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marc Rollin , Benoit Xuereb , Romain Coulaud , Vincent Loisel , Agnès Poret , Aurélie Duflot , Frank Le Foll , Céline Picard , Nicolas Hucher
{"title":"The use of physicochemical properties to assess changes in the cuticle structure of crustaceans: Case of the prawn Palaemon serratus and its moult cycle","authors":"Marc Rollin , Benoit Xuereb , Romain Coulaud , Vincent Loisel , Agnès Poret , Aurélie Duflot , Frank Le Foll , Céline Picard , Nicolas Hucher","doi":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111801","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111801","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The crustacean cuticle is a composite material acting as a shell, but also linked with other physiological functions as respiration, locomotion or reproduction. The present study aimed to characterize for the first time the cuticle properties of the marine prawn <em>Palaemon serratus</em> using thermal (TGA) and chemical (FTIR, ICP-AES) techniques. The use of native lyophilized cutiles also enabled to estimate the complexity of the cuticle structure of <em>P. serratus</em>. Hence, the prawn cuticle was found to be composed of bound water at 14 %, Light macromolecules at 27 %, heavy macromolecules at 17 % and inorganic elements at 42 %. This composition appeared to be similar to that of other swimming crustaceans, suggesting an adaptation of the cuticle structure in line with the ecology of the species. Then, thermal and chemical techniques were applied to characterize the structure changes of the cuticle induced by <em>i)</em> the moult cycle and <em>ii)</em> formic acid treatment. The moult cycle influence assessment revealed that the physicochemical properties were mainly modulated during postmoult, reflecting both the cuticle mineralization and tanning. Then, formic acid treatment led to cuticle alterations, related to the dissolution of amorphous minerals, which were detected by TGA, FTIR and ICP-AES. With these results, the assessment of cuticle properties using a combination of thermal and chemical techniques appeared to be interesting to monitor changes in cuticle structure in a dynamical context.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55237,"journal":{"name":"Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A-Molecular & Integrative Physiology","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 111801"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142933341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Weihui Huang , Nanyan Weng , Jingtian Zhang , Hanxiao Zhang , Yunxin Duan , Xinyi Gen , Shouliang Huo
{"title":"Prior heatwave exposure improves hypoxia tolerance in a typical freshwater fish species","authors":"Weihui Huang , Nanyan Weng , Jingtian Zhang , Hanxiao Zhang , Yunxin Duan , Xinyi Gen , Shouliang Huo","doi":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2025.111803","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2025.111803","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The prevalence of heatwave and hypoxia events and their devastating impacts on aquatic ecosystems and fishery resources reinforces the priority of research to address the resilience and adaption mechanisms to these two stressors in important fish species. However, our understanding of the development of cross-tolerance of these two stressors in fish still limited. Here, we investigated the impacts of prior heatwave exposure on hypoxia tolerance and the underlying mechanisms in silver carp (<em>Hypophthalmichthys molitrix</em>), a species of considerable ecological and commercial importance. Our results revealed that prior heatwave exposure significantly reduced the dissolved oxygen levels required to induce aquatic surface respiration (ASR<sub>50</sub>) and loss of equilibrium (LOE<sub>50</sub>) in juvenile silver carp, indicating the development of cross-tolerance to hypoxia. Physiologically, prior exposure to heatwaves significantly induced gill remodeling by triggering extensive apoptosis. These pre-existing physiological alterations and similar morphological alterations induced by subsequent hypoxia resulted in cumulative effects, leading to extensive gill remodeling under hypoxic conditions and thereby improving hypoxia tolerance. Molecularly, heatwave exposure modulated the expression of critical genes associated with hypoxia adaptation with tissue-specific responses. In the gill, heatwave exposure activated the hypoxia-induced factor (HIF) signaling pathway, increasing oxygen transport (<em>VEGF-A, HB-β</em>) and antioxidant gene expression (<em>GPx, SOD2</em>), facilitating rapid adaptation to hypoxia. In the liver, this exposure resulted in accelerated and enhanced gene expression of <em>HIF-1α</em>, anaerobic metabolism (<em>GLUT-1</em>, <em>LDH-A</em>), and heat shock protein (<em>HSP70</em>) under hypoxic conditions, contributing to improved adaptation. These results highlighted that prior exposure to heatwaves provided cross-tolerance to silver carp, bolstering their resilience to hypoxia through physiological gill remodeling and tissue-specific transcriptional adjustments. Our findings shed light on the intricate interactions of silver carp's thermal and hypoxic stress resilience, offering valuable perspectives for predicting and alleviating climate change impacts on aquatic life.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55237,"journal":{"name":"Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A-Molecular & Integrative Physiology","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 111803"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142933330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alejandro Rojas-Figueroa , Pedro E. Saucedo , Andrés Granados-Amores , Rubén Araya , Gabriel Correa-Reyes , Francisco A. Guardiola , Carlos Angulo
{"title":"Modulation of systemic antioxidant and immune responses in red abalone (Haliotis rufescens) during the recovery phase of anesthesia, in preparation for grafting surgery","authors":"Alejandro Rojas-Figueroa , Pedro E. Saucedo , Andrés Granados-Amores , Rubén Araya , Gabriel Correa-Reyes , Francisco A. Guardiola , Carlos Angulo","doi":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111800","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111800","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The use of anesthetic agents as pre-operatory treatment to pearl seeding surgery can be stressful to organisms and activate various physiological response mechanisms. This study evaluated some parameters of the systemic antioxidant and immune responses in red abalone (<em>Haliotis rufescens</em>) exposed to 0.25 mL L<sup>−1</sup> eugenol (EUB), 3.0 mL L<sup>−1</sup> phenoxyethanol (PEB) and CO<sub>2</sub> at saturation, as well as in a control (CT) without anesthetic. Abalone were anesthetized for 45 min and, during the recovery stage, hemolymph samples were collected at 0.5, 1, 2 and 24 h. Total protein content (TP), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, as well as nitric oxide (NO) production, were evaluated in hemolymph cell-free fraction (HCF) and hemocytes lysate (HL). In addition, total hemocyte count (THC) was determined. In HCF, TP was significantly higher in abalone exposed to PEB than in the other treatments and CT at 0.5, 1 and 24 h. SOD activity in HCF was significantly higher in all treatments compared to the CT (1 h), while CAT and MPO activity was only significantly higher in abalone exposed to EUB compared to PEB at 1, 2 and 24 h. In the HL fraction, the percentage of SOD inhibition was significantly higher only in abalone anesthetized with EUB compared to the CT (0.5 h). These results suggest that the antioxidant activity of the species during the recovery phase from anesthesia was transient and restored after 24 h. Similarly, the immune response of <em>H. rufescens</em> at the systemic level was not altered by the anesthetics, suggesting that the species adequately tolerated the anesthesia process. This research provides evidence of the effects of anesthesia at the systemic level in red abalone for the proper selection of anesthetics for pearl culture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55237,"journal":{"name":"Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A-Molecular & Integrative Physiology","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 111800"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142923695","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Meimei Liu , Yan Zhang , Lang Feng , Qing Guo , Ting Chen , Changkao Mu , Jianfeng Lu , Yongxu Cheng , Xugan Wu
{"title":"Tissue-specific vitellogenesis and 17β-estradiol facilitate ovarian maturation of the swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus","authors":"Meimei Liu , Yan Zhang , Lang Feng , Qing Guo , Ting Chen , Changkao Mu , Jianfeng Lu , Yongxu Cheng , Xugan Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111798","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111798","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The present study investigated the changes of expression and localization of <em>PtVg</em> mRNA, tissue Vg/ Vn concentrations, the contents of progesterone and 17ß-estradiol during the ovarian development of <em>P. trituberculatus</em>. The results showed that: 1) The most abundant mRNA levels of <em>PtVg</em> were found in stage IV, and hepatopancreatic PtVg mRNA was markedly greater than that in ovaries from stage II to stage V. The positive signal of <em>PtVg</em> mRNA was found in the follicular cells (FC), the cytoplasm of previtellogenic oocytes (PRO) and endogenous vitellogenic oocytes (EN), and hepatopancreatic fibrillar (F) cells and resorptive (R) cells. 2) The ovarian Vn contents reached the peak at stage V. In the hemolymph and hepatopancreas, the level of Vg/Vn markedly increased from stage II to stage IV. Immunohistochemistry findings confirmed that the PtVg protein was primarily distributed in the FC and the oocyte cytoplasm of late stages (II-V). 3) The highest levels of progesterone in the ovaries, hepatopancreas and hemolymph all appeared in stage II and then declined gradually from stage II to stage V. Ovarian 17β-estradiol concentration show an increasing trend from stage I to IV and remarkably decreased at stage V, while the peak levels of 17β-estradiol in hepatopancreas and hemolymph was found in stage III. 4) Positive correlations were found between ovarian and hepatopancreatic 17β-estradiol content and the corresponding <em>Vg</em> mRNA level, while significantly negative correlations were found between the tissue progesterone titers and the corresponding GSI or Vg/Vn contents during ovarian maturation. In conclusion, the vitellogenesis characteristics of <em>P. trituberculatus</em> are stage-specific, and most vitellogenin is produced by the hepatopancreas, which is also highly correlated to the changes of tissue 17β-estradiol content during the ovarian developmental cycle.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55237,"journal":{"name":"Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A-Molecular & Integrative Physiology","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 111798"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142923854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dina K. Gaynullina , Anastasia A. Shvetsova , Anna A. Borzykh , Oxana O. Kiryukhina , Natalia S. Sirotina , Denis V. Abramochkin , Olga S. Tarasova
{"title":"Hibernation enhances contractile responses of basilar artery in ground squirrels: The role of Rho-kinase and NO","authors":"Dina K. Gaynullina , Anastasia A. Shvetsova , Anna A. Borzykh , Oxana O. Kiryukhina , Natalia S. Sirotina , Denis V. Abramochkin , Olga S. Tarasova","doi":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111796","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111796","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hibernation is accompanied by dramatic decrease of blood flow in many organs due to the increase of their vascular resistances. We compared the responses of mesenteric, renal, and cerebral proximal resistance arteries in summer active (SA) and winter hibernating (WH) ground squirrels and studied the signaling pathways of Rho-kinase and NO. Wire myography and Western blotting were used to assess the arterial responses and protein abundances. Basal tone and contractile responses did not differ between SA and WH squirrels in mesenteric and renal arteries, but were greatly increased in basilar arteries of WH compared to SA. Rho-kinase inhibitor abolished the differences in basilar artery basal tone and contractile responses between WH and SA squirrels, while the content of Rho-kinase II protein in the cerebral arteries did not differ between the groups. NO-synthase inhibitor increased basal tone level and basilar artery contractile responses only in SA but not in WH animals, so that the intergroup differences disappeared. The responses of basilar artery to the NO-donor and eNOS protein content did not differ between the two groups, while nNOS protein content was reduced in WH compared to SA. Therefore, the increase of basilar artery basal tone and contractile responses in hibernating animals is due to the increase of procontractile influence of Rho-kinase and the decrease of anticontractile influence of NO. Localization of high resistance in the hibernating brain at the level of proximal resistance arteries may be important for rapid restoration of cerebral blood flow upon arousal from hibernation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55237,"journal":{"name":"Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A-Molecular & Integrative Physiology","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 111796"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142883674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Clara Agustí , Laia Guix , Annaïs Carbajal , Mariano Domingo , Manel López-Béjar , Xavier Manteca , Oriol Talló-Parra
{"title":"Physiological welfare indicators in wild cetaceans: Epidermal cortisol and oxytocin concentrations in stranded striped dolphins","authors":"Clara Agustí , Laia Guix , Annaïs Carbajal , Mariano Domingo , Manel López-Béjar , Xavier Manteca , Oriol Talló-Parra","doi":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111793","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111793","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Anthropogenic pressures and climate change present growing challenges for cetaceans, as the combined effects of multiple stressors can jeopardize their welfare and survival. In this context, validating reliable individual welfare indicators is crucial for quantifying these impacts. This study aimed to validate a method for measuring cortisol and oxytocin from the epidermis of stranded striped dolphins (<em>Stenella caeruleoalba</em>) using enzyme immunoassays, while accounting for confounding factors such as epidermal layer and body location. The effects of different causes of death—’Peracute Underwater Entrapment’ and ‘Distress Associated’— along with biological factors, were examined in relation to epidermal hormone levels. Furthermore, the relationship between these hormone levels and markers suggesting an impaired welfare, was explored. Validation tests indicated that the method was effective in quantifying both epidermal cortisol and oxytocin concentrations. Specifically, epidermal cortisol levels showed strong correlations with both serum and blubber levels and were 6 times higher in emaciated individuals and 14 times higher in those with distress-associated deaths, supporting its use in assessing hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity. Interestingly, results supported the validity of epidermal cortisol levels as markers of impaired welfare in dolphins, as they consistently increased across conditions assumed to negatively affect welfare but varying in terms of severity and duration. In contrast, epidermal oxytocin levels could not be validated as an indicator of the general oxytocin system nor as an indicator of welfare in this species. In conclusion, this study successfully validated epidermal cortisol as a reliable physiological indicator of welfare in striped dolphins, providing a promising tool for assessing individual and population-level welfare impacts. However, further research is needed to fully explore the potential role of oxytocin as a welfare biomarker in cetaceans.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55237,"journal":{"name":"Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A-Molecular & Integrative Physiology","volume":"301 ","pages":"Article 111793"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142873134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}