Effects of different stressors on hematological parameters in sparrows.

CHEDIACK, J. G.; RONCHI, G.D.; ARIAS, R.; PADRONES, N.; CID, F. D.; CAVIEDES-VIDAL E.

Congreso; XXXI Reunión Científica Anual de la Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo.; 2013

In birds, blood levels of corticosterone (CORT) vary daily and may increase by different stress responses. Corticosterone levels are highest during the dark hours of the daily cycle and in response to stressor (e.g., food shortage, restrain, disturbance). The porpoise of this study was to evaluate how the endogenous level of CORT by different stressors, influences the profiles of biochemical parameters and heterophil to lymphocyte (H/L) ratio in Passer domesticus. To achieve our goal, we used as biological model the house sparrows and performed fasting and stress-induced experiments. Because repeated blood sampling and time of fasting affects hematological parameters we took samples with 72 hs of recovery between them. For stress-induced experiments, birds were held in cloth bags and disturbed by shaking or fasting. We used an ANOVA with Tukey post-hoc to compare biochemical parameters and for H/L index at different times of fasting and disturbing. We found a no effect of nocturnal peak of CORT on H/L index, while biochemical parameters show a classical pattern of fasting. In disturbing experiments H/L index increase one hour after disturbing and increase glucose whereas TG remains constant. H/L index increase after twelve hours of fasting, while biochemical parameters show a classical pattern. These results suggest that endogenous levels of CORT could be modulate by different stressors and generated different effects.