Carbajal Annaïs, Lobato Isabel González, Agustí Clara, Muñoz-Baquero Marta, Serres-Corral Paula, López-Béjar Manel
Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
Associació Aletea, 17488 Cadaqués, Spain.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Mar 6;15(5):762. doi: 10.3390/ani15050762.
The present study marks a significant step forward in validating the use of skin biopsies for measuring reproductive steroid hormones in sharks. Given the conservation concerns surrounding many chondrichthyan species and the growing emphasis on adhering to the 3R principles in wildlife research, we should prioritize the acquisition of data through non-destructive or minimally invasive sampling techniques collected remotely. Dart skin biopsy samples can be collected remotely, without the need to chase, capture, and restrain the animal. Accordingly, the present study aimed to (i) develop a suitable extraction and analytical technique for reproductive hormone determination in shark skin biopsies and (ii) evaluate whether sex steroid hormones detected in shark skin differ between males and females and depending on males' maturity. The results of assay validation demonstrated that the commercial enzyme immunoassay used can provide reliable measures of progesterone, 17β-estradiol, and testosterone measured in shark skin extracts. After ensuring that reproductive hormones are accurately measured in this sample type, we compared hormone levels between males (mature and immature) and females to evaluate the variation in reproductive hormones relative to sex and males' maturity stage. We detected significant differences in skin hormone levels between sexes, suggesting that this technique may be a promising alternative approach for obtaining relevant biological data in free-ranging sharks. By employing this novel technique, we expect to gain a deeper understanding of the reproductive processes of living chondrichthyans, which is essential for formulating effective science-based conservation and management strategies.
本研究在验证使用皮肤活检来测量鲨鱼生殖类固醇激素方面迈出了重要的一步。鉴于围绕许多软骨鱼类物种的保护问题以及野生动物研究中对坚持3R原则的日益重视，我们应优先通过远程收集的非破坏性或微创采样技术获取数据。镖刺皮肤活检样本可以远程采集，无需追逐、捕获和限制动物。因此，本研究旨在：（i）开发一种适用于测定鲨鱼皮肤活检中生殖激素的提取和分析技术；（ii）评估鲨鱼皮肤中检测到的性类固醇激素在雄性和雌性之间以及是否取决于雄性成熟度方面是否存在差异。分析验证结果表明，所使用的商业酶免疫测定法能够可靠地测量鲨鱼皮肤提取物中孕酮、17β - 雌二醇和睾酮的含量。在确保能够准确测量这种样本类型中的生殖激素后，我们比较了雄性（成熟和未成熟）和雌性之间的激素水平，以评估生殖激素相对于性别和雄性成熟阶段的变化。我们检测到两性之间皮肤激素水平存在显著差异，这表明该技术可能是在自由活动的鲨鱼中获取相关生物学数据的一种有前景的替代方法。通过采用这种新技术，我们期望能更深入地了解现存软骨鱼类的生殖过程，这对于制定有效的基于科学的保护和管理策略至关重要。
