A non‐invasive stress assay based upon measurement of free cortisol released into the water by rainbow trout

2004/11/01 by T. Ellis, Tim Ellis, Jonathan James +5 · 272 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Chemistry · Environmental Science · Immunology and Microbiology · Medicine · #Aquaculture disease management and microbiota #Biology #Blood sampling #Chemistry #Chromatography #Cortisone #Endocrinology #Extraction (chemistry) #Fish <Actinopterygii> #Fishery #Hydrocortisone #Internal medicine #Medicine #Physiological and biochemical adaptations #Radioimmunoassay #Rainbow trout #Reproductive biology and impacts on aquatic species

paper · doi:10.1111/j.0022-1112.2004.00499.x

published in Journal of Fish Biology 65(5), 1233-1252 (Wiley)

openalex publication_date 2004/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30

Abstract

A procedure previously used for sex steroids was adapted to extract free cortisol and cortisone from water samples taken from rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss tanks. Both corticosteroids could be readily detected by radioimmunoassay (RIA), with cortisol being predominant. All stages of the sampling, extraction and RIA procedure were validated for cortisol. An intermittent problem with poor replication was traced to the use of diethyl ether during the extraction procedure, and was overcome by the use of ethyl acetate. Other modifications were also introduced to speed up the procedure. The concentration and time course of release of both corticosteroids were shown to be related to the degree of stress that the fish had been subjected to. It was confirmed that cortisol concentrations in water and estimated cortisol release rates increased in response to handling stress, and that both were correlated with plasma cortisol concentrations. The potential for using water cortisol concentration and release rates to assess the primary stress response of fishes as a non‐invasive alternative to blood sampling is discussed.

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