Stress-related hormones in horses before and after stunning by captive bolt gun
Abstract
In this work the slaughter-linked plasma modifications of some stress-related hormones in horses subject to standardized butchering procedures were investigated in order to highlight the compromised animal welfare during pre-slaughter handling. During pre-slaughter, animals show strong hardship behavioural patterns, probably due to being under life-threatening conditions. Blood samples from 12 male horses, ageing from 3 to 5 years, were collected before slaughtering in lairage, and during exsanguination after stunning. Catecholamines, cortisol and beta-endorphin concentrations were assessed in plasma samples by EIA. Results show that plasma beta-endorphin concentration did not increase significantly after stunning, while cortisol (P < 0.05) and catecholamines (P < 0.001) increased significantly. The ratio between the plasma level of norepinephrine and epinephrine decreased significantly (P < 0.001) during the time considered for observation underlining a greater involvement of adrenal medulla in the stress response. Moreover these results suggest that, under stress, the release of beta-endorphin could be different from that of ACTH. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Anno di pubblicazione
2010
ISSN
0309-1740
ISBN
Non Disponibile
Numero di citazioni Wos
11
Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni
Non Disponibile
Numero di citazioni Scopus
11
Ultimo Aggiornamento Citazioni
Non Disponibile
Settori ERC
Non Disponibile
Codici ASJC
Non Disponibile
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