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Faecal corticosterone and immunoglobulin A in young adult rats

Quantitative analyses of relevant molecules in faeces may have potential as future non-invasive measures of stress. This study examined levels of faecal corticosterone and immunoglobulin A (IgA) in young adult rats and how these levels varied according to age, gender and time of day. Faecal samples were collected from 40 young adult rats (7 weeks old, n = 20 and 10 weeks old, n = 20) of both sexes from two time windows: day and night. The concentrations of corticosterone and IgA were measured by ELISAs following organic solvent extraction and aqueous extraction, respectively, of the molecules from faecal pellets. The production of faeces per time unit was higher in males than in females, and linear correlations were found between the faecal concentrations of corticosterone and IgA and total amounts of the respective molecules excreted in faeces per kg body weight per hour. In all further analyses the levels of the two molecules were calculated as amounts secreted per kg of body weight per hour. There was no gender difference between females and males in the production of corticosterone and IgA, but 7-week-old animals excreted significantly higher amounts of both molecules than did 10-week-old rats. The levels of IgA excreted by female rats were higher in the evening than in the morning, and male rats excreted higher concentrations of corticosterone in the morning than in the evening.