Yang Yuqing, Suwimonteerabutr Junpen, Angkawanish Taweepoke, Chatdarong Kaywalee
Research Unit of Obstetrics and Reproduction in Animals, Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
The International Graduate Program of Veterinary Science and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
Animals (Basel). 2022 Jun 17;12(12):1570. doi: 10.3390/ani12121570.
The objective of this study was to find relationships among serum IGF-1, serum testosterone, seminal plasma IGF-1 concentrations and semen parameters in Asian elephants (). A total of 17 ejaculates (one to three ejaculates/bull) were collected from seven captive elephant bulls by performing rectal massage. Before each ejaculation, blood samples were obtained for serum IGF-1 and testosterone assays. Subsequently, the semen characteristics of each ejaculate were evaluated. Mean serum IGF-1 concentration of elephant bulls was estimated as 326.3 ± 114.6 ng/mL (median, 286.2 ng/mL; range, 167.4-542.7 ng/mL). An increase in serum IGF-1 concentration was found to correlate with the percentage of spermatozoa with intact acrosomes. In addition, IGF-1 concentration was positively correlated with testosterone level. However, seminal IGF-1 concentrations could not be detected. In conclusion, our findings suggest that serum IGF-1 concentration is likely a biomarker of normal testicular functions, particularly spermatogenesis in elephants. Moreover, this commercial IGF-1 ELISA is eligible for analyzing serum IGF-1 concentration in Asian elephants.
本研究的目的是找出亚洲象血清胰岛素样生长因子-1（IGF-1）、血清睾酮、精浆IGF-1浓度与精液参数之间的关系。通过直肠按摩从7头圈养雄象中总共采集了17份精液（每头雄象1至3份精液）。每次射精前，采集血样用于血清IGF-1和睾酮检测。随后，对每份精液的特征进行评估。雄象的平均血清IGF-1浓度估计为326.3±114.6 ng/mL（中位数为286.2 ng/mL；范围为167.4 - 542.7 ng/mL）。发现血清IGF-1浓度的升高与顶体完整的精子百分比相关。此外，IGF-1浓度与睾酮水平呈正相关。然而，未检测到精浆IGF-1浓度。总之，我们的研究结果表明，血清IGF-1浓度可能是正常睾丸功能，特别是大象精子发生的生物标志物。此外，这种商业化的IGF-1酶联免疫吸附测定法适用于分析亚洲象的血清IGF-1浓度。
