Changing patterns of cortisol and gut microbiota in Ailurus fulgens under different living environments

ZHAO Xing; MA Rui; WU Wei; LI Mingxi; CHEN Chao; ZHOU Yanshan; HONG Mingsheng; QI Dunwu

doi:10.16829/j.slxb.150869

ACTA THERIOLOGICA SINICA >

2024 , Vol. 44 >Issue 4: 427 - 435

DOI: https://doi.org/10.16829/j.slxb.150869

ORIGINAL PAPERS

Changing patterns of cortisol and gut microbiota in Ailurus fulgens under different living environments

ZHAO Xing ,
MA Rui ,
WU Wei ,
LI Mingxi ,
CHEN Chao ,
ZHOU Yanshan ,
HONG Mingsheng ,
QI Dunwu

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1 Southwest Wildlife Resources Conservation Key Laboratory (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong 637002, China;
2 Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu 610081, China

Received date: 2023-10-17

Revised date: 2024-03-13

Online published: 2024-08-03

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Abstract

Gut microbiota are susceptible to environmental stresses and the relative stability of their structure is essential for maintaining animal health. Cortisol, as a stress hormone, not only responds to the current stress condition of the animal but also affects the gut microbiota structure of the animal. However, the covariation mechanism between gut flora and faecal cortisol in Ailurus fulgens has not been investigated yet. We compared the fecal cortisol and gut microbiota structure of Ailurus fulgens in different living environments (captive, semi-free-ranging and wild) to elucidate the patterns of change in cortisol and gut microbiota organisms. The results revealed that among different living environments, the lowest cortisol concentration was found in captive condition (71. 1 ± 21. 6) ng/g, and its concentration was (111. 3 ± 5. 6) ng/g in semi-free-ranging environment, while the highest (5094. 8 ± 5383. 9) ng/g was found in wild environment. Meanwhile, the highest shannon index of gut microbiota of Ailurus fulgens was found in the semi-free-ranging environment (6. 178), followed by the wild condition (5. 535), and the lowest in captive environment (3. 449). Cortisol concentrations in captive Ailurus fulgens showed a significant negative correlation (P<0. 001) with Escherichia-Shigella and a significant positive correlation (P<0. 001) with Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1. In summary, different living environments significantly affect the gut microbiota composition and faecal cortisol concentration of Ailurus fulgens. Reducing the frequency and intensity of environmental changes can effectively reduce their stress and maintain the health and stability of the gut flora, which will provide technical support for the health management of Ailurus fulgens populations.

Key words： Ailurus fulgens; Gut microbiota; 16S rRNA sequencing; Cortisol; Stress

Cite this article

ZHAO Xing , MA Rui , WU Wei , LI Mingxi , CHEN Chao , ZHOU Yanshan , HONG Mingsheng , QI Dunwu . Changing patterns of cortisol and gut microbiota in Ailurus fulgens under different living environments[J]. ACTA THERIOLOGICA SINICA, 2024 , 44(4) : 427 -435 . DOI: 10.16829/j.slxb.150869

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