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Repeatability of the ACTH stimulation test as reflected by salivary cortisol response in healthy horses.
Journal article

Repeatability of the ACTH stimulation test as reflected by salivary cortisol response in healthy horses.

  • Scheidegger MD Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine ISME, Agroscope and University of Berne, Switzerland. Electronic address: milena.scheidegger@vetsuisse.unibe.ch.
  • Gerber V Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine ISME, Agroscope and University of Berne, Switzerland.
  • Ramseyer A Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine ISME, Agroscope and University of Berne, Switzerland.
  • Schüpbach-Regula G Veterinary Public Health Institute, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Berne, Switzerland.
  • Bruckmaier RM Veterinary Physiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Berne, Switzerland.
  • van der Kolk JH Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine ISME, Agroscope and University of Berne, Switzerland.
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  • 2016-08-28
Published in:
  • Domestic animal endocrinology. - 2016
ACTH stimulation test
Cortisol
Horse
Repeatability
Saliva
Stress
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone
Animals
Female
Horses
Hydrocortisone
Male
Saliva
English The aim of this study was to further characterize the ACTH stimulation test as reflected by salivary cortisol response and to measure the short- and long-term repeatability of it in healthy horses as a tool to assess the capacity of the adrenal cortex to secrete cortisol. Nineteen healthy horses were subjected to 3 ACTH stimulation tests. Intervals were 2 wk and 5 mo between the first and second and the second and third tests, respectively. A dose of 1-μg/kg BW synthetic ACTH was injected intravenously. Saliva samples were collected at baseline and at 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 min after administration for cortisol measurements using a competitive enzyme immunoassay. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare values within and among horses. Mean ± SD total increase in cortisol concentrations integrated over the entire sampling period was 34.5 ± 11.0 ng/mL. The highest measured concentration at a single time point was 9.7 ± 2.7 ng/mL and was reached after 122 ± 22 min. For the short- and long-term repeatability, intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.90 and 0.33, respectively. The 3 ACTH stimulation tests results differed significantly among (P < 0.00001) but not within (P = 0.538) individual horses. The Freiberger stallions had a higher salivary cortisol baseline concentration and a lower response to ACTH stimulation as compared with Warmblood mares and geldings. The present study confirmed that the administration of ACTH in healthy horses reliably stimulates the salivary secretion of cortisol and shows that the test is repeatable in the short- and long-term.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/44050
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