School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George's University, West Indies, Grenada.
School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, LE12 5RD, UK.
Sci Rep. 2022 Oct 21;12(1):17625. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-21211-6.
While vitamin D deficiency is a public health concern in humans, comparatively little is known about vitamin D levels in non-human primates. Vitamin D plays a crucial role in overall health and its deficiency is associated with a range of disorders, including cardiovascular disease, which is a leading cause of death in great apes. Serum samples (n = 245) from chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) housed at 32 European zoos were measured for 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D and total 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) using liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. Of these samples, 33.1% indicated inadequate vitamin D status, using the human reference interval (25-OHD < 50 nmol/L). The season of the year, health status of the animal, and the provision of daily outdoor access had a significant effect on vitamin D status. This is the first large-scale study on vitamin D status of non-human great apes in human care. Inadequate 25-OHD serum concentrations are widespread in the chimpanzee population in Europe and could be a risk factor for the development of idiopathic myocardial fibrosis, a major cause of mortality in this species, as well as other diseases. A review of husbandry and nutrition practices is recommended to ensure optimal vitamin D supply for these endangered animals.
虽然维生素 D 缺乏是人类的公共健康问题，但人们对非人类灵长类动物的维生素 D 水平知之甚少。维生素 D 在整体健康中起着至关重要的作用，其缺乏与一系列疾病有关，包括心血管疾病，这是非人类灵长类动物死亡的主要原因之一。对来自 32 家欧洲动物园的 245 只圈养黑猩猩（Pan troglodytes）的血清样本进行了 25-羟维生素 D、25-羟维生素 D 和总 25-羟维生素 D（25-OHD）的测量，采用液相色谱-串联质谱法进行分析。在这些样本中，33.1%的样本显示维生素 D 状态不足，采用人类参考区间（25-OHD<50 nmol/L）。一年中的季节、动物的健康状况和每日户外接触的提供对维生素 D 状态有显著影响。这是非人类大型类人猿在人类护理中的首次大规模维生素 D 状态研究。在欧洲的黑猩猩群体中，25-OHD 血清浓度不足的情况很普遍，这可能是特发性心肌纤维化发展的一个风险因素，特发性心肌纤维化是该物种的主要死亡原因之一，也是其他疾病的原因之一。建议对饲养和营养实践进行审查，以确保这些濒危动物获得最佳的维生素 D 供应。
