Adrenal response to chronic and acute water stress in Japanese quail, Coturnix coturnix japonica

Abstract

Adrenal corticosterone and aldosterone content, body weight changes and serum osmolality were examined during water restriction and water deprivation. Progressive water deprivation resulted in increased serum osmolality and decreased body weight; adrenal aldosterone content did not change. Adrenal corticosterone content tended to be elevated during early water deprivation indicating a stress response, but tended to decrease after seven days of water deprivation suggesting adrenal fatigue.

During water restriction, after the period of weight loss, adrenal elevated corticosterone content and serum osmolality were elevated. As the birds began to gain weight aldosterone did not change, but adrenal corticosterone content and serum osmolality approached control values, suggesting the birds were beginning to adapt to the water restriction. The lack of an aldosterone response suggests that high sodium in the diet was more important than the water regimes in regulating aldosterone.

The adrenal was sensitive to ACTH as indicated by the elevated adrenal aldosterone and corticosterone content after ACTH injection, however sodium status probably affects the aldosterone response to ACTH.