Measuring faecal epi-androsterone as an indicator of gonadal activity in spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta)

dc.contributor.authorPribbenow, Susanne
dc.contributor.authorEast, Marion L.
dc.contributor.authorGanswindt, Andre
dc.contributor.authorTordiffe, Adrian Stephen Wolferstan
dc.contributor.authorHofer, Heribert
dc.contributor.authorDehnhard, Martin
dc.date.accessioned2015-09-30T06:45:22Z
dc.date.available2015-09-30T06:45:22Z
dc.date.issued2015-06-24
dc.description.abstractEnzyme immunoassays (EIA) that measure faecal testosterone metabolites (fTM) are useful tools to monitor gonadal activity. The aim of this study was to validate an “in-house” epiandrosterone EIA to monitor fTM in spotted hyenas. FTM were characterised in a male and a female hyena that each received an injection of 3H-testosterone. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses revealed a cluster of highly polar enzyme-hydrolysable hormone metabolite conjugates. We performed hydrolysis using β-glucuronidase to deconjugate metabolites and improve sensitivity of the assay. Because β-glucuronidase from Helix pomatia has been reported to bias testosterone measurements in some species, we compared the enzymatic activity of the commonly used β-glucuronidase extracted from H. pomatia with the same enzyme from Escherichia coli. Our results showed that β-glucuronidases from both sources produced similar results from spotted hyena faeces. We therefore hydrolysed samples with H. pomatia enzymes. HPLC analyses also demonstrated that following hydrolysis the epiandrosterone EIA measured significant amounts of immunoreactive metabolites corresponding to radiolabelled metabolites in both sexes. Additionally, HPLC and GC-MS analyses confirmed the presence of epiandrosterone in faeces of spotted hyenas. The biological relevance of the epiandrosterone EIA was validated by demonstrating (1) a significant increase in fTM levels in response to a testosterone injection within 16 h, (2) no biological responsiveness to an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) injection and (3) significant differences in fTM levels between juvenile males and adult immigrant males in a free-ranging wild population. Our results clearly demonstrate that the epiandrosterone EIA is a reliable non-invasive method to monitor gonadal activity in spotted hyenas.en_ZA
dc.description.librarianam2015en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorshipFunded by a joint “Collaboration in the field of sustainable management of wildlife populations” grant (SUA 10/020) of the International Bureau of the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) and the National Research Council of South Africa, and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo & Wildlife Research (IZW).en_ZA
dc.description.urihttp://www.plosone.orgen_ZA
dc.identifier.citationPribbenow S, East ML, Ganswindt A, Tordiffe ASW, Hofer H & Dehnhard M (2015) Measuring Faecal Epi-Androsterone as an Indicator of Gonadal Activity in Spotted Hyenas (Crocuta crocuta). PLoS ONE 10(6): e0128706. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0128706.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203
dc.identifier.other10.1371/journal.pone.0128706
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/50103
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherPublic Library of Scienceen_ZA
dc.rights© 2015 Pribbenow et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.en_ZA
dc.subjectGonadal activityen_ZA
dc.subjectSpotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta)en_ZA
dc.subjectEnzyme-immunoassaysen_ZA
dc.subjectFaecal testosterone metabolites (fTM)en_ZA
dc.subject.otherVeterinary science articles SDG-15en_ZA
dc.subject.otherSDG-15: Life on land
dc.titleMeasuring faecal epi-androsterone as an indicator of gonadal activity in spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta)en_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA

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