Cyclic changes in the circulating and urinary levels of ovarian steroids in the adult female owl monkey (Aotus trivirgatus)

Abstract

Circulating levels of oestrone and progesterone were measured by radioimmunoassays in plasma samles from 5 female owl monkeys on 60 consecutive days. Both steroids exhibited cyclic fluctuations and based on nadir to nadir intervals the ovarian cycle was estimated to be 15.92 +/- 0.26 days. Levels of oestrone and pregnanediol-3 alpha-glucuronide were also measured in daily urine samples. The fluctuations of urinary steroids reflected those observed in plasma. Ketamine sedation had no effect on the length of the cycle. Peak values of plasma progesterone and oestrone were 250.48 +/- 11.37 and 3.59 +/- 0.066 ng/ml respectively. There was no clear hormonal distinction between the follicular and luteal phase of the cycle in these owl monkeys.

Comparison of urinary oestrogen excretion in South American primates

“…Data on the capuchin cycle have been published (Hodges et al, 1979) but hormone profiles in the spider monkey and white-lipped tamarin have not been previously reported. The cycle lengths for the 2 females studied are similar to values from other studies of New World monkeys (see Preslock et al, 1973;Hearn et al, 1978;Bonney et al, 1979). The present findings also suggest a species difference in the pattern of oestrogen excretion, the gradual and prolonged preovulatory-like oestrogen increment in the spider monkey contrasting markedly with the more abrupt rise in the capuchin and tamarin.…”

“…To date, hormonal data on female reproductive cycles are limited to the cotton-topped tamarin (Preslock, Hampton & Hampton, 1973), the common marmoset (Hearn & Lunn, 1975;Hearn, Abbott, Chambers, Hodges & Lunn, 1978), the squirrel monkey (Wolf, O'Connor & Robinson, 1977) and the owl monkey (Bonney, Dixson & Fleming, 1979) and there have been no previous comparative studies on the reproductive endocrinology of platyrrhine monkeys, The present paper describes the excretion of total immunoreactive oestrogen and biologically active luteinizing hormone (LH) in small volumes of urine collected from females of 4 species of South American monkey, and compares the relative amounts of individual oestrogen metabolites excreted.…”

Determination of ovarian cycle in Goeldi's monkey (Callimico goeldii) via the measurement of steroids and peptides in plasma and urine

“…4) Table 2). (Bonney et al, 1979), and the common marmoset Eastman et al, 1984). The profile of urinary excretion of oestrone-3-conjugates closely reflects that of oestrone-3-conjugates in the circulation, supporting the conclusions of previous studies based on urinary hormones only, that urinary oestrone-3-conjugates are high during the luteal phase (Ziegler et al, 1989(Ziegler et al, , 1990aCarroll et al, 1990).…”

Cyclic excretion of urinary oestrogens in female tamarins (Saguinus oedipus)

“…However, in the present study females were captured three times weekly for urine sampling and the estimates of the urinary oestrogen cycle reported here are in agreement with those of Brand (1981). Blood and urine samples collected on the same day provided virtually identical information regarding ovarian cyclicity in the owl monkey (Bonney et al, 1979). This latter finding points to the need for (i) concurrent blood and urine sampling to verify the cycle length in tamarins and (ii) an estimate of progesterone concentra¬ tions to distinguish ovulatory from anovulatory cycles.…”