Oxytocin is associated with reproductive physiology but also with welfare and positive emotions. In this study, oxytocin was measured in saliva samples of 45 pigs that were collected before being transported to the slaughterhouse, at the time of arrival and 4 h after arrival to the slaughterhouse. Two previously validated assays, one that measures free oxytocin and other that measures oxytocin linked to proteins, were used. In addition, cortisol, salivary alpha-amylase (sAA), total esterase activity (TEA), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), which are biomarkers associated with stress and pain in pigs, were measured. The results showed a decrease in free and protein-linked oxytocin concentrations at 4 h after transport compared with the time before transport, while cortisol, sAA, TEA, BChE and LDH showed an increase at 4 h after transport compared with the time before transport. Based on these results it can be concluded that the transport and lairage at slaughterhouse in the conditions of this study produce a decrease in oxytocin in the saliva of pigs that could indicate a reduced emotional well-being.

催产素与生殖生理有关，但也与福利和积极情绪有关。在这项研究中，在运输到屠宰场之前，到达屠宰场和屠宰场之后4小时内，对45头猪的唾液样本中的催产素进行了测量。使用了两种先前已验证的测定法，一种测定游离催产素，另一种测定与蛋白质连接的催产素。此外，还测量了与猪压力和疼痛相关的生物标志物皮质醇，唾液α-淀粉酶（sAA），总酯酶活性（TEA），丁酰胆碱酯酶（BChE）和乳酸脱氢酶（LDH）。结果显示，与运输前相比，运输后4 h游离和蛋白连接的催产素浓度降低，而皮质醇，sAA，TEA，与运输前相比，运输后4 h BChE和LDH升高。根据这些结果，可以得出结论，在本研究条件下，在屠宰场的运输和宰杀会降低猪唾液中催产素的含量，这可能表示情绪幸福感降低。