Please cite this article in press as: Pathak, R., et al., Alterations in cortisol concentrations and expression of certain genes associated with neutrophil functions in cows developing retention of fetal membranes. Vet. Immunol. Immunopathol. (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetimm.2015.09.003 ARTICLE IN PRESS G Model VETIMM-9398; No. of Pages 5 Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology xxx (2015) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology j o ur na l ho me page: www.elsevier.com/locate/vetimm Short communication Alterations in cortisol concentrations and expression of certain genes associated with neutrophil functions in cows developing retention of fetal membranes Rupal Pathak a,1 , Shiv Prasad a , A. Kumaresan b,∗ , M. Kaur c , A. Manimaran a , A.K. Dang c a Livestock Research Centre, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal 132001, Haryana, India b Theriogenology Lab, Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology & Obstetrics, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal 132001, Haryana, India c Division of Dairy Cattle Physiology, Lactation and Immunophysiology Laboratory, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal 132001, Haryana, India a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 4 May 2015 Received in revised form 13 August 2015 Accepted 9 September 2015 Keywords: Dairy cattle Peri-partum period Cortisol Neutrophil functions Retained fetal membrane a b s t r a c t Elevated cortisol concentrations have been reported to impair the functions and alter the life span of neutrophils in cows. The present study assessed the cortisol concentrations and expression of few genes related to longevity (Fas, Caspase 3, Bcl2) and margination (CD 62L, CD 18/11b) of neutrophils in relation to retention of fetal membranes (RFM) in dairy cows. Cortisol concentrations were significantly higher on the day of calving and day 2 postpartum in RFM cows than normal cows. Expression of CD 62L was significantly lower on the day of calving and day 2 postpartum in RFM cows than normal cows. While expression of Fas and GR was significantly lower on the day of calving, expression of Bcl2 was lower on day 7 ± 2 pre-partum in RFM cows compared to normal cows. No significant difference was observed in the expression of CD 18/11b and Caspase 3 between RFM and normal cows. Cortisol concentration was negatively correlated with expression of GR, Fas, CD 62L, CD18/CD11b and Caspase 3, while positively correlated with immature neutrophil percentage and expression of Bcl2. It may be inferred that cortisol concentrations and expression of certain genes associated with lifespan and margination of neutrophils were altered in cows developing RFM compared to those expelled the fetal membranes normally. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Retention of fetal membranes (RFM), a condition in which the fetal membranes are not expelled within 12 h after parturi- tion, leads to huge economic losses to the dairy industry (Beagley et al., 2010) since the production and reproduction potential of the affected cows are seriously compromised. It has been observed that the incidence of RFM in crossbred cattle was about 26%, compar- atively higher than zebu cattle (16%) and buffaloes (13%; Kumari et al., 2015). In RFM affected cows, it has been reported that the average milk loss was to the tune of 753 kg per lactation (Duboc et al., 2011). Although the losses associated with RFM are well quantified, the etiology has not been understood in detail. In dairy cattle, it has been shown that RFM is associated with impaired neutrophil function and reduced chemotaxis (Kimura et al., 2002; ∗ Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: ogkumaresan@gmail.com, A.Kumaresan@icar.gov.in (A. Kumaresan). 1 Present address: College of Agriculture and Research Station, Janjgir-Champa 495668, Chhattisgarh, India. Beagley et al., 2010). Recently it has been shown that cows affected with RFM had reduced concentrations of certain pro-inflammatory cytokines (Streyl et al., 2012; Boro et al., 2014, 2015). Migration of neutrophils to the site of feto-maternal junction and its normal functioning is important for fetal membrane sepa- ration (Kimura et al., 2002; McNaughton and Murray, 2009). It has been reported that CD 62L and CD 18/11b regulate the margination (Weber et al., 2001, 2004; Burton et al., 2005) while Fas and Caspase 3 regulate the lifespan of neutrophils and any alterations in their expression may affect the normal functioning of the cell (Chang et al., 2004; Burton et al., 2005). Hormonal milieu of the blood and extracellular tissue fluid can influence neutrophil development and immunity related activities since the immune system is controlled by the endocrine system of the body (Bouman et al., 2005). Elevated concentrations of cortisol during parturition have an immunosup- pressive effect and impair the neutrophil functions by affecting the activity and life pattern of neutrophils (Burton et al., 2005). Earlier studies have reported significantly higher concentrations of corti- sol in cows developing RFM compared to the cows those expelled the fetal membranes normally (Gupta et al., 2004; Kaczmarowski et al., 2006; Beagley et al., 2010; Hanafi et al., 2011). Mature neu- trophils respond to the high cortisol concentrations as they possess http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetimm.2015.09.003 0165-2427/© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.