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Cortisol and Corticosterone in Bovine Plasma and the Effect of Adrenocorticotropin^1,2,

Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman 99163

ABSTRACT

Plasma levels of Cortisol and corticosterone were determined in 18 lactating, nonpregnant dairy cows of three breeds and also at hourly intervals following a single injection of 200 IU ACTH to five cows and no treatment to one cow. The mean for all breeds was 7.3 µg cortisol per 100 ml plasma. The Cortisol of Guernseys was 5.2 ± 2.4 (mean ± SD) µg per 100 ml plasma, which was significantly lower (P < 0.01) than in Holsteins (9.3 ± 2.4); whereas, Cortisol levels in Jerseys (7.4 ± 1.5) were not significantly different from the two other breeds. The mean was 3.0 fig corticosterone per 100 ml plasma, with no significant differences between breeds. Administration of ACTH more than doubled the plasma concentration of Cortisol in one hour, resulting in highly significant (P < 0.01) treatment effects between hours post-treatment, whereas only a 33% increase was found in the untreated cow. A significant (P < 0.05) linear downward trend in corticosterone level and a significant (P < 0.05) quadratic effect on the Cortisol :corticosterone ratio were also found following ACTH treatment. This would appear to indicate that ACTH treatment preferentially stimulated the 17-hydroxylating system of the bovine adrenal.

¹ Scientific Paper no. 3339. College of Agriculture Research Center, Washington State University, Pullman.

² This research was supported in part by Medical and Biological Research funds (Initiative 171) granted by the University Research Committee under Projects 1659 and 1750.

³ Present address: Clinical Investigation Unit, Queen Mary's Veterans Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

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