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Vol. 10, Special Issue 10 (2021)

High performance liquid chromatographic estimation of concentrations of faecal cortisol in Asian elephants with foot disorders

Author(s):
M Veeraselvam, P Selvaraj, S Senthil Kumar, A Senthilkumar, TMA Senthilkumar and C Sreekumar
Abstract:
Monitoring stress is important in the management of captive animals, especially elephants. A study was undertaken to investigate the stress induced cortisol levels in captive Asian elephants with foot disorders. In elephants, serum cortisol studies are not always possible on account of their protected species status. However, faecal samples are easily available and using them, cortisol can be estimated. High Performance Liquid Chromatography Technique (HPLC) being one of the sensitive methods, can be used for elephant studies also. A total of 42 captive elephants of Tamil Nadu were evaluated for foot health during their periodical clinical examinations; they were grouped according to the foot lesions. Fresh dung samples (0.5 gm) were collected in 5 ml of 80% methanol and faecal extraction was done. Faecal extracts were measured for cortisol metabolites by HPLC. The faecal cortisol concentrations of these captive elephants ranged from 0.083 µg/g to 0.553 µg/g. Individual mean faecal cortisol concentration did not differ significantly between the groups of elephants with and without foot disorders. The results also showed higher the faecal cortisol concentration was noticed in elephants with structural deformities and it was significantly differed when correlated with of elephants without foot disorders. This study highlights the utility of faecal cortisol metabolites as a useful non-invasive tool for assessing the well-being of captive elephants with foot diseases and disorders.
Pages: 892-895  |  247 Views  45 Downloads
How to cite this article:
M Veeraselvam, P Selvaraj, S Senthil Kumar, A Senthilkumar, TMA Senthilkumar and C Sreekumar. High performance liquid chromatographic estimation of concentrations of faecal cortisol in Asian elephants with foot disorders. The Pharma Innovation Journal. 2021; 10(10S): 892-895.

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