Development of catecholamine and cortisol stress responses in zebrafish

Both adrenal catecholamines and steroids are known to be involved in the stress response, immune function, blood pressure and energy homeostasis. The response to stress is characterized by the activation of the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic-adrenomedullary system, though the correlation with activation and development is not well understood. We evaluated the stress response of both cortisol and catecholamines during development in zebrafish. Zebrafish at two different stages of development were stressed in one of two different ways and cortisol and catecholamine were measured. Cortisol was measured by enzyme immune assay and catecholamine was measured by ELISA. Our results show that stress responses are delayed until after the synthesis of both cortisol and catecholamines. These observations suggest that the development of HPA axis may be required for the acquisition of the stress response for cortisol and catecholamines.