Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Apr 19;13(1):6419.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-33575-4.

Determination of diurnal rhythm of salivary corticosterone concentration in the domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus f. domestica) using a non-invasive method

Gabriela Kadlecova  1 , Martina Volfova  2 , Jan Chloupek  3 , Monika Sebankova  2 , Lucie Hostovska  2 , Eva Voslarova  2 , Vladimir Vecerek  2
Affiliations

Determination of diurnal rhythm of salivary corticosterone concentration in the domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus f. domestica) using a non-invasive method

Gabriela Kadlecova et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

There are many advantages associated with the determination of the level of corticosterone in rabbits from saliva, since this is a non-invasive sample collection method that does not affect their welfare and provides a reliable reflection of the state of the animal at a given moment without the results being distorted as they may be, for example, when blood samples are taken. The aim of this study was to determine the diurnal rhythm in the concentration of corticosterone in the saliva of the domestic rabbit. Saliva samples were taken from six domestic rabbits five times during the daytime (at 6:00, 9:00, 12:00, 15:00 and 18:00) over the course of three consecutive days. The levels of corticosterone in the saliva of the individual rabbits displayed a diurnal rhythm during the course of the day, with a significant increase between 12:00 and 15:00 (p < 0.05). No statistically significant difference in the concentrations of corticosterone in the saliva of the individual rabbits was demonstrated. Although the basal value of corticosterone is not known in rabbits and is difficult to determine, the results of our study show the pattern of fluctuations in the concentration of corticosterone in the saliva of rabbits during the daytime.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The daytime fluctuation of the salivary corticosterone concentration in six rabbits. Three replicate samples were taken and analysed at each point in time. a,bThe values with different superscript letters are significantly different (p < 0.05).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Verkerk GA, Phipps AM, Carragher JF, Matthews LR, Stelwagen K. Characterization of milk cortisol concentrations as a measure of short-term stress responses in lactating dairy cows. Anim. Welf. 1998;7:77–86. doi: 10.1017/S0962728600020273. - DOI
    1. Kobelt AJ, Hemsworth PH, Barnett JL, Butler KL. Sources of sampling variation in saliva cortisol in dogs. Res. Vet. Sci. 2003;75:157–161. doi: 10.1016/S0034-5288(03)00080-8. - DOI - PubMed
    1. McCobb EC, Patronek GJ, Marder A, Dinnage JD, Stone MS. Assessment of stress levels among cats in four animal shelters. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 2005;226:548–555. doi: 10.2460/javma.2005.226.548. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Finkler H, Terkel J. Cortisol levels and aggression in neutered and intact free-roaming female cats living in urban social groups. Physiol. Behav. 2010;99:343–347. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2009.11.014. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Snyder RJ, et al. Behavioral and hormonal consequences of transporting giant pandas from china to the united states. J. Appl. Anim. Welf. Sci. 2012;15:1–20. doi: 10.1080/10888705.2012.624046. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types