Abstract
ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate newborn foals stress in the first 48 hours of life. Heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV) and serum cortisol concentrations, blood glucose, and lactate were determined in foals (n = 20, Paint Horse). Cortisol concentrations decreased significantly between four and 48 hours, with the highest concentration at 4 hours after birth. Positive correlations between cortisol and lactate occurred between 12 and 16 hours. And there was a negative correlation between cortisol and lactate 4 hours after birth. Among the values obtained for HR, there was significantly difference between the the value obtained at twelve hours of life moment and all the other moments measured, the highest values were at birth, 24 and 48 hours of life. Among HRV indexes, there were no statistical differences between the variables analysed. The cortisol, HR and HRV alterations were consistent to neonatal stress, but might be related to extrauterine environment adaptation associated to sympathoadrenal response, since those foals were healthy.
Highlights
The neonatal period is characterized by a phase of physiological and metabolic adaptation, in which the foal needs to attend to the new challenges of extrauterine life (Pirrone et al., 2014)
The induction of labor by the fetus can be considered a response to chronic stress, which causes the elevation of antepartum cortisol
There was no significant difference between the blood glucose concentrations at birth (98.90 ± 35.97mg/dL) and 4 hours after birth (108.05±26.23mg/dL), a significant increase occurred between birth and 8 hours after birth (127.90±27.15mg/dL)
Summary
The neonatal period is characterized by a phase of physiological and metabolic adaptation, in which the foal needs to attend to the new challenges of extrauterine life (Pirrone et al., 2014). Cortisol promotes adaptation to many physiological conditions, including pregnancy, birth, early lactation and maturation of fetal organ systems (Farrand et al, 2006) This hormone interferes in many metabolic systems such as the glucose use and catabolism of lipids and proteins, and induces changes in heart rate and blood pressure (Yamada et al, 2007). Sympathetic activity can be evaluated through the concentration of catecholamines, and through heart rate analysis and HRV (Nagel et al, 2015), but there is no similar information proved in the equine neonate In addition to these indexes that are used to assess the neonatal stress, Borruto et al (2006) reported that high lactate concentration in cord blood or scalp and the persistency of lactic acidosis in human neonates have been considered useful indicators of fetal stress during delivery
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