Stress Hormones in Mammals and Birds: Comparative Aspects Regarding Metabolism, Excretion, and Noninvasive Measurement in Fecal Samples
Abstract
A multitude of endocrine mechanisms are involved in coping with challenges. Front-line hormones to overcome stressful situations are glucocorticoids (GCs) and catecholamines (CAs). These hormones are usually determined in plasma samples as parameters of adrenal activity and thus of disturbance. GCs (and CAs) are extensively metabolized and excreted afterwards. Therefore, the concentration of GCs (or their metabolites) can be measured in various body fluids or excreta. Above all, fecal samples offer the advantages of easy collection and a feedback-free sampling procedure. However, large differences exist among species regarding the route and time course of excretion, as well as the types of metabolites formed. Based on information gained from radiometabolism studies (reviewed in this paper), we recently developed and successfully validated different enzyme immunoassays that enable the noninvasive measurement of groups of cortisol or corticosterone metabolites in animal feces. The determination of these metabolites in fecal samples can be used as a powerful tool to monitor GC production in various species of domestic, wildlife, and laboratory animals.
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The main glucocorticoids produced by the adrenal gland are cortisol and corticosterone, with corticosterone being predominant in birds.
“The main GCs produced by the adrenal gland are cortisol and corticosterone, with the latter being predominant in birds (Möstl et al., 2005;Palme et al., 2005;Cockrem, 2007).”
From Effect of weather conditions and presence of visitors on adrenocortical activity in captive African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) (2017) · cites this paper as Palme et al., 2005
Samples were frozen immediately after collection at −20 °C.
“Samples were gathered in cryovials and frozen immediately after collection at À20 °C (Millspaugh and Washburn, 2004;Palme et al., 2005;Sheriff et al., 2011).”
From Effect of weather conditions and presence of visitors on adrenocortical activity in captive African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) (2017) · cites this paper as Palme et al., 2005
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Effects of the presence of zoo visitors on zoo‐housed little penguins ( <i>Eudyptula minor</i> )
Chiew, S. J., Butler, K. L., Fanson, K. V., Eyre, S., Coleman, G. J., Sherwen, S. L., Melfi, V., & Hemsworth, P. H. (2022) · New Zealand Journal of Zoology · doi:10.1080/03014223.2021.1896560 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
- Authors
- PALME, R., RETTENBACHER, S., TOUMA, C., EL‐BAHR, S. M., & MÖSTL, E.
- Affiliations
- University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (AT)
- Corresponding author
- PALME, R
- ORCID
- PALME, R
- Venue
- Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2005-04
- Volume
- 1040
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 162-171
- ISSN
- 0077-8923 (ISSN-L)
- 1749-6632
- OpenAlex
- W1984523811
- Cited by
- 598
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 33 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 33 · 2022: 55 · 2021: 42 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 35 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 32 · 2015: 27 · 2014: 36 · 2013: 43 · 2012: 32
- FWCI
- 24.11
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (submittedVersion)
- MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Adrenal Hormones and Disorders
- Keywords
- stress hormones, glucocorticoids, cortisol, corticosterone, catecholamines, fecal metabolites, non-invasive hormone measurement, glucocorticoid metabolism, radiometabolism, enzyme immunoassay, adrenal function, mammals, birds
- MeSH terms
- Adrenal Glands, Animals, Birds, Catecholamines, Feces, Glucocorticoids, Hormones, Mammals, Species Specificity, Stress, Physiological
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