Changes in salivary biomarkers of oxidative status in calves at weaning and grouping

Abstract Background Saliva is being increasingly used as a sample for measuring biomarkers in several species and shows a high potential of use to detect and monitor stress. The weaning and grouping in dairy calves are a particularly stressful time. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to evaluate a panel of antioxidant and oxidant biomarkers in the saliva of calves on the day of weaning (W0), 2 days after weaning or milk withdrawal (W + 2), and 4 days after grouping (G + 4). In addition, to verify if cortisol and oxytocin concentrations are related to the biomarkers measured. Results Salivary cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), ferric reducing ability of saliva (FRAS), Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), and ferrous oxidation-xylenol orange (FOX) were significantly higher (P