There is increasing interest in using nonblood measures of glucocorticoids to assess the physiological response to chronic stress conditions. In sheep, cortisol has been measured in various matrices including saliva, feces, and wool, but comprehensive studies of the relationship between plasma concentrations of cortisol and concentrations in these nonblood matrices are lacking. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that administration of cortisol to sheep would result in elevated concentrations of cortisol in blood, saliva, feces, and wool. Merino ewes were administered with saline or 2 mg/kg BW/d hydrocortisone acetate (HCA) by intramuscular (i.m.) injection for 28 d. This treatment was imposed to mimic circulating cortisol concentrations experienced during periods of chronic stress. Cortisol and cortisone were directly measured in plasma, saliva, and wool before, during, and after treatment with saline or HCA. A 14-d pre-treatment and a 14-d post-treatment period were used to measure time taken for glucocorticoid concentrations in each of the matrices to return to baseline levels. Cortisol was also measured in feces before, during, and after treatment. Wool growth was also measured. Before treatment, there was no difference in the concentration of cortisol or cortisone in plasma, saliva, feces, or wool in animals treated with saline or HCA. In contrast, treatment with HCA increased (P < 0.05) concentrations of both cortisol and cortisone in plasma, saliva, and wool and of cortisol in feces. In plasma, cortisol concentrations were higher than cortisone (P < 0.05), whereas saliva cortisol and cortisone concentrations did not differ significantly. In wool, the concentration of cortisone was about 19-fold higher than that of cortisol during treatment and post-treatment periods. Treatment with HCA inhibited wool growth. These results demonstrate that an increase in glucocorticoids in the blood of sheep is reflected in increases in saliva (after 7 d of treatment), feces (21 d), and wool (14 d). Therefore, measures of glucocorticoids in these matrices may provide a measure of activation of the adrenal glands over time in sheep, thereby providing a retrospective indicator of chronic stress. With respect to wool, it appears that cortisol is predominantly metabolized to cortisone in the skin or wool follicle and is stored as cortisone. Therefore wool cortisone may also provide an important measure in quantifiying chronic stress in sheep.

人们越来越关注使用糖皮质激素的非血液测量来评估对慢性压力状况的生理反应。在绵羊中，已经在包括唾液、粪便和羊毛在内的各种基质中测量了皮质醇，但缺乏关于皮质醇血浆浓度与这些非血液基质中浓度之间关系的综合研究。因此，我们检验了给绵羊皮质醇会导致血液、唾液、粪便和羊毛中皮质醇浓度升高的假设。美利奴母羊通过肌肉注射 (im) 注射生理盐水或 2 mg/kg BW/d 醋酸氢化可的松 (HCA)，持续 28 天。这种治疗是为了模拟慢性压力期间经历的循环皮质醇浓度。皮质醇和可的松在血浆、唾液、和羊毛在用生理盐水或 HCA 处理之前、期间和之后。治疗前 14 天和治疗后 14 天用于测量每个基质中糖皮质激素浓度恢复到基线水平所需的时间。还在治疗前、治疗中和治疗后测量了粪便中的皮质醇。还测量了羊毛生长。治疗前，用生理盐水或 HCA 治疗的动物血浆、唾液、粪便或羊毛中皮质醇或可的松的浓度没有差异。相比之下，HCA 治疗增加了（还测量了羊毛生长。治疗前，用生理盐水或 HCA 治疗的动物血浆、唾液、粪便或羊毛中皮质醇或可的松的浓度没有差异。相比之下，HCA 治疗增加了（还测量了羊毛生长。治疗前，用生理盐水或 HCA 治疗的动物血浆、唾液、粪便或羊毛中皮质醇或可的松的浓度没有差异。相比之下，HCA 治疗增加了（P < 0.05) 血浆、唾液和羊毛中皮质醇和可的松的浓度以及粪便中皮质醇的浓度。在血浆中，皮质醇浓度高于可的松（P< 0.05)，而唾液皮质醇和可的松浓度没有显着差异。在羊毛中，处理期间和处理后期间可的松的浓度比皮质醇的浓度高约 19 倍。用 HCA 处理抑制羊毛生长。这些结果表明，绵羊血液中糖皮质激素的增加反映在唾液（治疗 7 天后）、粪便（21 天）和羊毛（14 天）的增加上。因此，这些基质中糖皮质激素的测量可以提供绵羊肾上腺随时间激活的测量，从而提供慢性压力的回顾性指标。对于羊毛，皮质醇似乎主要在皮肤或羊毛毛囊中代谢为可的松，并以可的松的形式储存。