Comparative study of urinary reproductive hormones in great apes

Abstract

Urinary estrone conjugates (E 1 C), pregnanediol-3-glucuronide (PdG), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were determined by enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) during the normal menstrual cycle in the orangutan, gorilla, chimpanzee, and bonobo. Furthermore, the data were compared to those levels in the human and long-tailed macaque. The results showed a typical preovulatory E 1 C surge and postovulatory increase in PdG in all species. The pattern of E 1 C during the menstrual cycle in the great apes more closely resembled the human than do the long-tailed macaque. A major difference of E 1 C pattern between these species appeared in the luteal phase. In the great apes and the human, E 1 C exhibited two peaks, the first peak detected at approximately mid cycle and the second peak detected during the luteal phase. On the other hand, in the longtailed macaque, increase of E 1 C in the luteal phase was small or nonexistent. The gorilla, chimpanzee, and bonobo exhibited similar PdG trends. The orangutan excreted one tenth less PdG than these species during the luteal phase. The long-tailed macaque also excreted low levels of PdG. The patterns of FSH in orangutan, chimpanzee, bonobo and long-tailed macaque showed a marked mid-cycle rise and an early follicular phase rise, similar to those in the human. Comparing similar taxa, a large difference was found in FSH of gorilla; there were three peaks during the menstrual cycle. Thus, there is considerable species variation in the excretion of these hormones during the menstrual cycle and comparative studies could be approached with a single method. The methods and baseline data presented here provide the basis for a practical approach to evaluation and monitoring of ovarian events in the female great apes.

Urinary sex steroid hormone and placental leucine aminopeptidase concentration differences between live births and stillbirth of Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus)

“…18 In many species, estrone-3-glucuronide (E 1 G) and pregnanediol-3-glucuronide (PdG) are abundant metabolites of estrogen and progesterone excreted into urine, which accurately reflect changes in circulating hormones and the maintenance of pregnancy, respectively. [19][20][21] Therefore, it is important to measure the concentrations of these hormone metabolites in urine to assess the endocrinological changes during pregnancy. In this study, urinary PLAP, E 1 G, and PdG concentrations were compared among four female Bornean orangutans who gave either a stillbirth or live birth.…”

Urinary estrogens, progesterone, and LH changes during normal menstrual cycles of a captive female pileated gibbon (Hylobates pileatus)

“…In humans and some hominids, including gorilla, chimpanzee, bonobo, and orangutan, it was reported that urinary estrone conjugate (E 1 C) was elevated during the follicular phase, and urinary pregnanediol-3glucuronide was elevated during the luteal phase, while in the female long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) urinary E 1 C did not increase during the luteal phase [7,16,26]. In our study, the female did not show an obvious elevation of urinary E during the luteal phase.…”

Multimodal Advertisement of Pregnancy in Free-Ranging Female Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata)

“…Approximately 2g of all samples were then stored in 50 mL plastic tubes, with 35 mL of silica gel added to allow a complete desiccation of the pellet. Fecal samples were then analyzed for estrone conjugates (E1C) and pregnanediol-3-glucuronide (PdG) using previously described and validated enzyme immunoassays (EIA) (for further details see [ 42 , 51 ]), with a few modifications. Dry feces (0.25 g) were shaken with 2.5 mL of modified phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH 7.0, 0.1% BSA with 0.05% tween-20) at room temperature for 24 hr, and then centrifuged (3,000 rpm, 10 min).…”