Background: In preclinical studies with cynomolgus macaques, it is common to have one or more females presenting with menses. Published literature indicates that the blood lost during menses causes decreases in red blood cell mass variables (RBC, HGB, and HCT), which would be a confounding factor in the interpretation of drug-related effects on clinical pathology data, but no scientific data have been published to support this claim. Objectives: This investigation was conducted to determine if the amount of blood lost during menses in cynomolgus macaques has an effect on routine hematology and serum chemistry variables. Methods: Ten female cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis), 5 to 6.5 years old, were observed daily during approximately 3 months (97 days) for the presence of menses. Hematology and serum chemistry variables were evaluated twice weekly. Results: The results indicated that menstruation affects the erythrogram including RBC, HGB, HCT, MCHC, MCV, reticulocyte count, RDW, the leukogram including neutrophil, lymphocyte, and monocyte counts, and chemistry variables, including GGT activity, and the concentrations of total proteins, albumin, globulins, and calcium. The magnitude of the effect of menstruation on susceptible variables is dependent on the duration of the menstrual phase. Macaques with menstrual phases lasting ≥ 7 days are more likely to develop changes in variables related to chronic blood loss. Conclusions: In preclinical toxicology studies with cynomolgus macaques, interpretation of changes in several commonly evaluated hematology and serum chemistry variables requires adequate clinical observation and documentation concerning presence and duration of menses. There is a concern that macaques with long menstrual cycles can develop iron deficiency anemia due to chronic menstrual blood loss.

Conjugation of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to another molecule prolongs its half-life in the body, but has a potential to artifactually increase the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) as measured with certain assays. Studies conducted in-house at Bristol-Myers Squibb using the STA-PTT Automate 5 assay, the routine assay used to measure aPTT, demonstrated prolongation of aPTT in plasma samples spiked in vitro with 40-kDa branched PEG (PEG40) conjugated compounds or PEG40 alone, but not in samples spiked with vehicle or non-PEGylated compound, suggesting that the interference is because of the PEG40 moiety. To investigate the cause of this phenomenon, cynomolgus monkey and rat plasma samples were spiked with different concentrations of PEG40 and the aPTT was measured using different proprietary assays. With one exception, prolongation of aPTT was observed with all assays containing silica as the contact activator. No changes in aPTT were noted in assays using kaolin as a contact activator. The findings indicated that the observed prolongation of aPTT is largely because of interference of PEG40 with the silica, but other features of the reagent mixture may also influence aPTT times.