Bruins-van Sonsbeek Linda G R, Corbee Ronald J
Rotterdam Zoo, Blijdorplaan 8, 3041 JG Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 108, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Animals (Basel). 2024 Oct 2;14(19):2843. doi: 10.3390/ani14192843.
This study aimed to detect seasonal and species differences in serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations during summer and winter months in captive pachyderms in Europe. Both elephant species had low 25(OH)D while African elephants did not show a seasonal variation. Asian elephants had significantly higher 25(OH)D compared to their African counterparts but also did not show a seasonal difference. Both rhinoceros species investigated had higher 25(OH)D compared to both elephant species; the Indian rhinoceros had high circulating levels year-round, while the black rhinoceroses showed significantly lower 25(OH)D in winter. Malayan tapirs have very low 25(OH)D, comparable to horses. The higher 25(OH)D of elephants and rhinoceroses could indicate that elephants and rhinoceroses are capable of producing vitamin D. This might indicate that the Indian rhinoceroses are capable of producing enough endogenous vitamin D year-round at latitudes around 52° N, while both elephant species and the black rhinoceros are not. This study also showed that it is likely that both elephant species and rhinoceros species are capable of absorbing cholecalciferol from the digestive tract, according to the existing literature, while tapirs may not.
本研究旨在检测欧洲圈养厚皮动物在夏季和冬季血清25-羟基维生素D（25(OH)D）浓度的季节差异和物种差异。两种大象的25(OH)D水平都较低，而非洲象未表现出季节性变化。亚洲象的25(OH)D水平显著高于非洲象，但也未表现出季节差异。所研究的两种犀牛的25(OH)D水平均高于两种大象；印度犀牛全年循环水平较高，而黑犀牛在冬季的25(OH)D水平显著较低。马来貘的25(OH)D水平非常低，与马相当。大象和犀牛较高的25(OH)D水平可能表明它们能够合成维生素D。这可能表明印度犀牛在北纬52°左右能够全年合成足够的内源性维生素D，而两种大象和黑犀牛则不能。根据现有文献，本研究还表明，两种大象和犀牛很可能能够从消化道吸收胆钙化醇，而貘可能无法做到。
