Changes in saliva biomarkers of stress and immunity in domestic pigs exposed to a psychosocial stressor

Abstract

A combination of salivary biomarkers measured at the same time, reflecting the different systems that are involved in the stress mechanism, could be the best tool for its evaluation. In this study, changes in a panel of salivary biomarkers of stress and immunity including chromogranin A (CgA), IgA, cortisol, testosterone, haptoglobin (Hp) and C-reactive protein (CRP), were evaluated. A total of 14 (7 control and 7 test) crossbred Duroc × (Landrace × Large White) males of 190 days of age were used for this experiment. The stress mechanism was evaluated after applying a psychosocial stressor model in 7 pigs, based on isolation and regrouping. Our results show that after of isolation, there was a significant (P b 0.05) increase in salivary CgA and IgA. However, after regrouping, there was a significant increase (P b 0.05) in salivary cortisol, testosterone and CgA. Salivary Hp and CRP concentrations did not significantly change after applying this stress model. This panel of salivary bio- markers could be used as a practical and non-invasive tool for reflecting the activity of different physiology systems involved in the stress response.