Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa.
Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa.
Gen Comp Endocrinol. 2022 Sep 1;325:114052. doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2022.114052. Epub 2022 May 11.
Populations of roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus) in southern Africa have experienced a drastic decline over the past few decades and this situation has led to the development of intensive breeding programmes to support conservation efforts. However, little is known about related welfare aspects, including stress-related physiological biomarkers. The present study set out to establish a non-invasive method to monitor faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) concentrations as a measure of stress and determine fGCM concentrations in relation to male reproductive activity and female reproductive status in the roan antelope. An adrenocorticotrophic hormone challenge was performed using two adult roan antelope (one male and one female) at Lapalala Wilderness Nature Reserve, South Africa, to determine the suitability of five enzyme immunoassays (EIA) for monitoring adrenocortical function in roan antelope. An 11-oxoaetiocholanolone I EIA detecting 11,17 dioxoandrostanes performed best showing 17-20 folds increases in fGCM concentrations after 12 h-17 h post-injection. The identified EIA was then used to monitor fGCM concentrations during active and non-active reproductive periods in males (n = 3), and during periods of cyclicity, gestation, and postpartum in females (n = 10). Males showed an overall 80% increase in fGCM concentrations when reproductively active and females showed a progressively significant increase in fGCM levels throughout pregnancy, with overall fGCM concentrations being 1.5 to 2.6-fold higher than the respective fGCM concentrations during periods of postpartum and cyclicity, respectively. Furthermore, fGCM concentrations remained above baseline for up to 21 days post-partum. A correlation between ecological parameters (rainfall and temperature) and fGCM concentrations revealed elevated fGCM concentrations during the dry season for males, but not females. The non-invasive method validated in this study provides a valuable tool to quantify stress-related biomarkers in roan antelope, and findings can be used to support management decisions in conservation breeding facilities.
在过去的几十年里，非洲南部的罗安羚羊（Hippotragus equinus）数量急剧减少，这种情况导致了密集的繁殖计划的发展，以支持保护工作。然而，人们对相关的福利方面知之甚少，包括与压力相关的生理生物标志物。本研究旨在建立一种非侵入性的方法来监测粪便糖皮质激素代谢物（fGCM）浓度作为压力的衡量标准，并确定罗安羚羊的雄性生殖活动和雌性生殖状态与 fGCM 浓度的关系。在南非拉帕拉拉荒野自然保护区，对 2 只成年罗安羚羊（1 只雄性和 1 只雌性）进行了促肾上腺皮质激素挑战，以确定 5 种酶免疫分析（EIA）是否适合监测罗安羚羊的肾上腺皮质功能。一种 11-氧代去甲雄烷酮 I EIA 检测到 11,17 二氧雄烷，在注射后 12-17 小时，fGCM 浓度增加了 17-20 倍，表现最佳。然后，使用所鉴定的 EIA 来监测雄性（n=3）在活跃和非活跃生殖期以及雌性（n=10）在周期性、妊娠和产后期间的 fGCM 浓度。当雄性处于生殖活跃期时，fGCM 浓度总体增加了 80%，而雌性在整个怀孕期间，fGCM 水平逐渐显著增加，整个孕期的 fGCM 浓度比产后和周期性的相应 fGCM 浓度高 1.5 至 2.6 倍。此外，产后 fGCM 浓度在 21 天内仍保持在基线以上。生态参数（降雨量和温度）与 fGCM 浓度之间的相关性表明，雄性在旱季 fGCM 浓度升高，但雌性则不然。本研究验证的非侵入性方法为定量罗安羚羊与压力相关的生物标志物提供了一种有价值的工具，并可用于支持保护繁殖设施中的管理决策。
