Kusuda Satoshi, Morikaku Koki, Kawada Ken-ichi, Ishiwada Kenji, Doi Osamu
Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Gifu University, Japan.
J Reprod Dev. 2007 Feb;53(1):143-50. doi: 10.1262/jrd.18041. Epub 2006 Oct 14.
The aim of the present study was to establish a simple method to monitor ovarian activity and non-invasively diagnose pregnancy in okapi (Okapia johnstoni). The feces of a female okapi were collected daily or every 3 days for 28 months. Steroids in lyophilized feces were extracted with 80% methanol, and the fecal levels of immunoreactive progestagens (progesterone and pregnanediol-glucuronide), androgen (testosterone), and estrogens (estradiol-17beta and estrone) were determined by enzyme immunoassays with commercially available antisera. Using the progesterone profiles, the durations of the luteal phase, follicular phase, and estrous cycle were determined to be 11.1 +/- 0.4, 5.3 +/- 0.6, and 16.5 +/- 0.7 days (n=22), respectively. Fecal levels of immunoreactive progesterone, pregnanediol glucuronide, and testosterone gradually increased from early pregnancy and peaked several months before parturition. More pregnanediol glucuronide was excreted in feces than progesterone during late pregnancy, but not during the estrous cycle. Although the fecal concentrations of immunoreactive estradiol-17beta and estrone change a little throughout pregnancy and non-pregnancy, they rose sharply and temporarily on the day following parturition. The present study indicates that fecal assays with commercial antisera for progesterone and pregnanediol glucuronide are useful for evaluating luteal activity and diagnosing pregnancy and indicates that estrogens might have some role as a trigger of parturition.
本研究的目的是建立一种简单的方法来监测霍加狓（Okapia johnstoni）的卵巢活动并对其妊娠进行无创诊断。在28个月的时间里，每天或每3天收集一只雌性霍加狓的粪便。用80%的甲醇提取冻干粪便中的类固醇，并用市售抗血清通过酶免疫测定法测定粪便中免疫反应性孕激素（孕酮和孕二醇葡萄糖醛酸苷）、雄激素（睾酮）和雌激素（雌二醇-17β和雌酮）的水平。根据孕酮曲线，确定黄体期、卵泡期和发情周期的时长分别为11.1±0.4天、5.3±0.6天和16.5±0.7天（n = 22）。免疫反应性孕酮、孕二醇葡萄糖醛酸苷和睾酮的粪便水平从妊娠早期开始逐渐升高，并在分娩前几个月达到峰值。妊娠后期粪便中排出的孕二醇葡萄糖醛酸苷比孕酮多，但在发情周期中并非如此。尽管免疫反应性雌二醇-17β和雌酮的粪便浓度在整个妊娠和非妊娠期间变化不大，但在分娩后的第二天会急剧且暂时升高。本研究表明，使用市售抗血清对孕酮和孕二醇葡萄糖醛酸苷进行粪便检测可用于评估黄体活动和诊断妊娠，并表明雌激素可能在分娩触发中起一定作用。
