Tracking the Ovarian Cycle in Black-and-Gold Howlers (Alouatta caraya) by Measuring Fecal Steroids and Observing Vaginal Bleeding

Autor(es)

Kugelmeier, Tatiana ^[1] ; do Valle, Rodrigo del Rio ^[1] ; de Barros Vaz Guimaraes, Marcelo Alcindo ^[1] ; Pereira Carneiro Muniz, Jose Augusto ^[2] ; Barros Monteiro, Frederico Ozanan ^[3] ; de Oliveira, Claudio Alvarenga ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, FMVZ, Dept Reprod Anim VRA, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Ctr Nacl Primatas CENP, Inst Evandro Chagas IEC, SVS, MS, Ananindeua, PA - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Rural Amazonia, ISPA, Belem, Para - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY; v. 32, n. 3, p. 605-615, JUN 2011.
• Citações Web of Science: 7

Resumo

A better understanding of a species' reproductive physiology can help conservation programs to manage primates in the wild and develop assisted reproductive technologies in captivity. We investigated whether measurements of fecal progestin and estrogen metabolites obtained by a radioimmunoassay could be used to monitor the ovarian cycle of Alouatta caraya. We also compared the occurrence of vaginal bleeding with the hormone profiles. We collected fecal samples from 3 adult and 1 subadult captive female over 5 mo and performed vaginal cytology for the adults. The interval between fecal progestin surges in the adult females was 19.11 +/- 2.14 d (n = 18 cycles). Fecal progestin concentrations remained at basal values for 9.83 +/- 2.21 d (n = 18) and rose to elevated values for 9.47 +/- 0.72 d (n = 19). The subadult female showed basal levels of fecal estrogen and progestin concentrations throughout the study, suggesting that our hormone measurements are valid to monitor the ovarian cycle. Bleeding periods coincided with basal levels of fecal estrogens and progestin at intervals of 19.8 +/- 0.9 d and lasted for 4.1 +/- 1.0 d. Although we obtained these data from only 3 individuals, the results indicate that this species likely has a menstrual-type ovarian cycle. These data provide the first endocrine profile for the Alouatta caraya ovarian cycle and are similar to results obtained for other howler species. This similarity is important for comparative studies of howlers, allowing for a better understanding of their reproductive physiology and contributing to a critical information base for managing Alouatta species. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 02/10920-5 - Ciclo ovariano de femeas de macaco bugio (alouatta caraya - humboldt, 1812): avaliacao endocrinologica por meio de extracao e dosagem de esteroides fecais.
• Beneficiário: Tatiana Kugelmeier
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Mestrado