Coat, Claw and Dewclaw 17-β-Estradiol and Testosterone Concentrations in Male and Female Postpubertal Cats: Preliminary Results

Abstract

In the recent past, tissue materials such as hair/coat and nails/claws have proved to be useful for the study of long-term hormonal changes in humans and animals and shown to be advantageous in terms of being collectable without invasiveness, with a benefit in terms of animal welfare. However, studies using these tissue materials in cats are scarce, especially on sexual hormone measurement. In this study, the concentrations of 17-β-estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) were assessed in 20 male and 18 female domestic postpubertal cats at the time of neutering/spaying during the breeding season. Hormones were measured in coat shaved from the forearm (ACOAT) and from the surgical area (SCOAT); claws were collected from the forearms (CLAWS) and the dewclaws (DCLAWS). Although all these tissue materials were shown to be useful for E2 and T long-term measurement, only T concentrations were higher (p < 0.001) in males from both ACOAT and SCOAT samples when compared to females and therefore useful for distinguishing between the two sexes. Within each sex, E2 and T concentrations can be assessed on coat, but also on the dewclaws, providing an alternative, practical, matrix for sexual steroid measurement in postpubertal cats during the breeding season.

Peripubertal Testosterone, 17β-Estradiol and Progesterone Concentrations in Hair and Nails in Dobermann Dogs

“…Therefore, based on the present results, a definitive sex effect can only be considered for T in hair. The higher T concentrations in the hair of males align with the study by Fusi et al [ 29 ] in adult cats, where only T assessed in the coat from a single sampling time proved useful in distinguishing between postpubertal males and females. Furthermore, a previous study in humans [ 27 ] demonstrated that gender influences hair concentrations of T and P4, with a tendency towards higher T in the hair of males and higher P4 in the hair of females.…”

“…The affinity between lipophilic substances and nail keratin has been reported, indicating the ability of testosterone and estrogens to stably bind to keratin [ 18 ] and suggesting the usefulness of nails/claws in measuring sexual hormones [ 18 ]. Several studies [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ] have utilized nails/claws to investigate sexual steroids in humans and animals. After an initial study demonstrated the usefulness of a single claws collection for hormone detection in deceased newborn puppies [ 17 ], subsequent studies showcased the feasibility of using claws for one-time or longitudinal hormone measurement in newborn puppies [ 22 , 28 , 30 ].…”