Biological variation of cortisol level in milk of domestic goats in natural habitat

Cover Page

Cite item

Full Text

Open Access Open Access
Restricted Access Access granted
Restricted Access Subscription or Fee Access

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine the milk cortisol range of free-living domestic goats (Capra hircus) and to assess the potential influence of individual and environmental factors on the physiological level of the hormone. Milk samples from five goats were collected during morning and evening milking during a 10-week monitoring period (from August to October). 416 milk samples were collected and aliquots were applied onto a cellulose membrane, dried, and transported to the laboratory for quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The milk cortisol concentration reached 76…116 nmol/l. Moreover, the observed intra-individual variation of the milk hormone was significantly higher (53 %) than the inter-individual variation (26 %). A significant increase of milk cortisol (up to 330…460 nmol/L) was found for a sick animal several days before death. During the data analysis, there were no significant correlations between the cortisol level and the age of the animal, the milk volume milked per one milking, the time of milking and the time of waiting for milking. However, significantly lower levels of the hormone were observed for the first animal in line for milking compared to the second, and significantly higher levels were observed for the second animal compared to all others. It is therefore assumed that the current psychoemotional reactions associated with social interaction – both within the species and with humans – may have a determining effect on the milk cortisol level of domestic goats. They may make a greater contribution to the variation of the hormone level than circadian rhythms and age, fullness of the mammary gland.

Full Text

Restricted Access

About the authors

A. K. Piskunov

Vavilov Institute of General Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: sushk_90@mail.ru

кандидат биологических наук

Russian Federation, 119991, Moskva, ul. Gubkina, 3

N. Yu. Saushkin

Lomonosov Moscow State University

Author for correspondence.
Email: sushk_90@mail.ru

кандидат химических наук

Russian Federation, 119991, Moskva, Leninskie gory, 1, str. 11B

J. V. Samsonova

Vavilov Institute of General Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Lomonosov Moscow State University

Email: sushk_90@mail.ru

кандидат химических наук

Russian Federation, 119991, Moskva, ul. Gubkina, 3; 119991, Moskva, Leninskie gory, 1, str. 11B

References

  1. Джафаров М. Х., Зайцев С. Ю., Максимов В. И. Стероиды. Строение, получение, свойства и биологическое значение, применение в медицине и ветеринарии. СПб.: Лань, 2011. 288 с.
  2. Новгородова И. П. Методы определения концентрации кортизола у животных // Аграрная наука. 2024. Т. 4. С. 35–43. doi: 10.32634/0869-8155-2024-381-4-35-43
  3. Aguiar D., Marques C., Pereira A. C. The importance of monitoring cortisol in the agri-food sector-A systematic review // Metabolites. 2023. Vol. 13. No. 6. Article 692. URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2218–1989/13/6/692 (дата обращения: 21.12.2024). doi: 10.3390/metabo13060692.
  4. Пушкарёв Н. Н. Уровень и динамика половых гормонов у коз оренбургской породы с возрастом // Известия Оренбургского государственного аграрного университета. 2015. Т. 2. № 52. С. 185–187.
  5. Heimbürge S., Kanitz E., Otten W. The use of hair cortisol for the assessment of stress in animals // General and Comparative Endocrinology. 2019. Vol. 270. P. 10–17. doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.09.016.
  6. Effect of seasonal stress on cortisol level of goats / S. Shukla, A. Ludri, A. Parashar et al. // The Pharma Innovation Journal. 2021. Vol. 10. No. 11s. P. 2654–2656.
  7. Tajik J., Nazifi S., Eshtraki R. The influence of transportation stress on serum cortisol, thyroid hormones, and some serum biochemical parameters in Iranian cashmere (Raini) goat // Veterinarski Arhiv. 2016. Vol. 86. P. 795–804.
  8. Use of goat interleukin-6, cortisol, and some biomarkers to evaluate clinical suitability of two routes of ascorbic acid administration in transportation stress / K. T. Biobaku, T. O. Omobowale, A. O. Akeem, et al. // Veterinary World. 2018. Vol. 11. No. 5. P. 674–680. doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2018.674-680.
  9. Hydbring-Sandberg E., von Walter L. W., Forkman B. Cortisol is not enough: A complex stress reaction in tethered goats // Animal Welfare. 2022. Vol. 31. No. 1. P. 91–98. doi: 10.7120/09627286.31.1.008.
  10. Serum cortisol of Sahel goats following rumenotomy with assorted anaesthetics and sutures / A. M. Saidu, P. B. Bokko, A. Mohammed, et al. // International Journal of Veterinary Science&Medicine. 2016. Vol. 4. No. 1. P. 23–26. doi: 10.1016/j.ijvsm.2016.10.008.
  11. Acute cortisol and behavior of dairy goat kids administered local anesthesia, topical anesthesia or systemic analgesia prior to cautery disbudding / M. N. Hempstead., T. M. Lindquist, J. K. Shearer, et al. // Physiology & Behavior. 2020. Vol. 222. Article 112942. URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031938420302560 (дата обращения: 21.12.2024). doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.112942.
  12. Altered stress-induced cortisol levels in goats exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB 126 and PCB 153) during fetal and postnatal development / K. E. Zimmer, A. C. Gutleb, J. L. Lyche, et al. // Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A. 2009. Vol. 72. No 3–4. P. 164–172. doi: 10.1080/15287390802539004.
  13. Within-day variation and effect of acute stress on plasma and milk cortisol in lactating goats / G. Romero, I. Restrepo, R. Muelas, et al. // Journal of Dairy Research. 2015. Vol. 98. No. 2. P. 832–839. doi: 10.3168/jds.2014-8052.
  14. Variation in milk cortisol during lactation in Murciano-Granadina goat / J. R. Díaz, M. Alejandro, G. Romero, et al. // Journal of Dairy Research. 2013. Vol. 96. No. 2. P. 897–905. doi: 10.3168/jds.2012-5614.
  15. Comparison of cortisol concentrations in plasma and saliva in dairy cattle following ACTH stimulation / A. Riek, L. Schrader, F. Zerbe, et al. // Journal of Dairy Research. 2019. Vol. 86. No. 4. P. 406–409. doi: 10.1017/S0022029919000669.
  16. Within a hair’s breadth – Factors influencing hair cortisol levels in pigs and cattle / S. Heimbürge, E. Kanitz, A. Tuchscherer, et al. // General and Comparative Endocrinology. 2020. Vol. 288. Article 113359. URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016648019304885 (дата обращения: 21.12.2024). doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.113359.
  17. Cavallino L., Rincón L., Scaia M. F. Social behaviors as welfare indicators in teleost fish // Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 2023. Vol. 10. Article 1050510 URL: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1050510/full (дата обращения: 21.12.2024). doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1050510.
  18. Serum cortisol levels in goats exhibit seasonal but not daily rhythmicity / A. Alila-Johansson, L. Eriksson, T. Soveri, et al. // Chronobiology International. 2003. Vol. 20. No. 1. P. 65–79. doi: 10.1081/cbi-120017684.

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML
Download
2. Fig. 1. Changes in cortisol content in the milk of five domestic goats over 10 weeks (different symbols represent different animals).

Download (88KB)
Indexing metadata
3. Fig. 2. Dependence of the concentration of the determined cortisol on the volume of milk milked in one milking in animal IV.

Download (54KB)
Indexing metadata
4. Fig. 3. Dependence of the cortisol level in milk on the order of milking of a goat (a statistically significant difference is observed when moving from 1 to 2 individuals (t-test, p < 0.05); horizontal bars indicate the median value and quartiles with a step of 25%, outliers are marked with circular symbols).

Download (52KB)
Indexing metadata
5. Fig. 4. Changes in the cortisol content in the milk of five domestic goats depending on: a) milking time, b) waiting time for milking (different symbols and lines represent different animals and the corresponding approximation lines).

Download (202KB)
Indexing metadata

Copyright (c) 2025 Russian academy of sciences