¿Puede la acupuntura láser reducir la elevación post estrés de los metabolitos de glucocorticoides en las heces de ovino?

Abstract

Background Shearing is one of the greatest disturbances within economic utilisation of sheep. Therefore shearing was used as a stressor in this study to show whether laser acupuncture could reduce the quantity of cortisol metabolites in the faeces of sheep. Design A total of 77 sheep were exposed to disturbances caused by the procedure of shearing and were divided into one test group and one control group. The sheep of the test group were treated with acupuncture by shining a laser beam on specific psychological acupuncture points and then sheared immediately. The sheep of the control group were treated the same way with an insulation cap placed on the tip of the laser beamer. Faecal samples were taken immediately after shearing and then in time intervals of six, eight, ten, twelve and 14 hours. All samples were frozen immediately and stored at −20 °C until analysis. The concentration of glucocorticoid metabolites was measured by the Institute of Biochemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna using an Enzyme Immuno-assay (EIA) developed by this institute. Results The level of glucocorticoid metabolites was significantly higher for the control group than for the test group only after six hours. No significant difference between the two groups coud be constated for the other sampling times. Conclusions Although a primary effect could be detected, the influence of laser acupuncture on the concentration of cortisol metabolites in the faeces of sheep can not be clearly evaluated in this study. Further studies could include habituation of the animals to handling procedures, variation of the laser radiation dose and repeated laser acupuncture to allow more precise conclusions.