Mahmoud I Y, Alkindi A Y, Khan T, Al-Bahry S N
Department of Biology, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khod, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
J Exp Zool A Ecol Genet Physiol. 2011 Mar 1;315(3):170-4. doi: 10.1002/jez.665. Epub 2011 Jan 11.
In previous studies on nesting green turtles under natural conditions from different geographical regions, 17-β-estradiol (E(2) ) was either undetectable or detected at very low levels. RIA and other related techniques were not sensitive enough to measure low E(2) values in the green turtles. In this study, a sensitive method was used in detecting low hormone concentrations: high performance liquid chromatography with tandem quadruple mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Using this technique, estradiol for the first time was detected in nesting green turtles during the peak season (June-October) at Ras Al-Hadd Reserve, Oman. The E(2) values recorded from this study were the highest ever recorded from nesting green turtles in any geographical region, but the levels did not vary significantly throughout different phases of nesting. The presence of E(2) during nesting presumably plays a role in the physiology and behavior of this species. Ras Al-Hadd hosts one of the largest nesting populations of green turtles in the world, and an understanding of their nesting patterns may be of value in conservation and management programs for this endangered species.
在以往针对不同地理区域自然条件下绿海龟筑巢的研究中，要么检测不到17-β-雌二醇（E₂），要么检测到的水平非常低。放射免疫分析及其他相关技术对于测量绿海龟体内低水平的E₂值不够灵敏。在本研究中，采用了一种灵敏的方法来检测低激素浓度：高效液相色谱-串联四极杆质谱联用技术（HPLC-MS/MS）。利用该技术，首次在阿曼拉斯哈德自然保护区的筑巢绿海龟繁殖高峰期（6月至10月）检测到了雌二醇。本研究记录的E₂值是在任何地理区域筑巢绿海龟中所记录到的最高值，但在筑巢的不同阶段，其水平并无显著变化。筑巢期间E₂的存在可能对该物种的生理和行为有影响。拉斯哈德是世界上绿海龟筑巢数量最多的地区之一，了解它们的筑巢模式对于这个濒危物种的保护和管理计划可能具有重要意义。
