Seasonal Pattern in Serum Estradiol, Progesterone, and Prolactin Concentrations in Rescued Wild Female Taiwanese Pangolin (<i>Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla</i>)
Pangolins are under severe threat of surging poaching rates globally; therefore, there is a demand to ascertain reproductive measures to ensure captive breeding and management strategies. Due to the absence of substantial information on the pangolin, endocrinology and reproductive physiology studies...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5636/3/2/19 |
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| author | Bharti Arora Kurtis Jai-Chyi Pei Andre Ganswindt |
| author_facet | Bharti Arora Kurtis Jai-Chyi Pei Andre Ganswindt |
| author_sort | Bharti Arora |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Pangolins are under severe threat of surging poaching rates globally; therefore, there is a demand to ascertain reproductive measures to ensure captive breeding and management strategies. Due to the absence of substantial information on the pangolin, endocrinology and reproductive physiology studies around the globe are merely based on captive observations that have failed to report the chronographs and hormonal cyclicity of the reproductive events. This study attempts to evaluate the annual pattern of reproductive steroids (estradiol-17β and progesterone) and prolactin in 16 wild female Taiwanese pangolins rehabilitated by Pingtung Rescue Center of Endangered Wild Animals, Taiwan. Novel immunoassays, i.e., chemiluminometric assays, have been used to quantify the serum reproductive steroids and contribute to a better understanding of the endocrine correlates of function in the Taiwanese pangolin. The hematological findings were characterized by monthly median concentration. The circulating reproductive hormones demonstrated seasonal reproductive activity by confirming a peak in serum estradiol concentrations in December and considerably higher progesterone concentrations in November/December, and March/April. The rise in prolactin in December and peak values in April suggest participation in the ovulatory process and mating. Collectively, these findings can help maximize the reproductive efficiency of pangolin species in captivity, i.e., by timely pairing and prioritizing the care of the breeding pairs to optimize breeding efforts and, therefore, effectively support conservation breeding programs and restore the natural population in the ecosystems. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:19:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0f904b90d30e4a1992eac1dc67e17458 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-5636 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:19:11Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens |
| spelling | doaj.art-0f904b90d30e4a1992eac1dc67e174582023-11-23T17:30:09ZengMDPI AGJournal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens2673-56362022-05-013223824510.3390/jzbg3020019Seasonal Pattern in Serum Estradiol, Progesterone, and Prolactin Concentrations in Rescued Wild Female Taiwanese Pangolin (<i>Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla</i>)Bharti Arora0Kurtis Jai-Chyi Pei1Andre Ganswindt2Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, National Dong Hwa University, Hualien 974301, TaiwanInstitute of Wildlife Conservation, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 91201, TaiwanDepartment of Zoology and Entomology, Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South AfricaPangolins are under severe threat of surging poaching rates globally; therefore, there is a demand to ascertain reproductive measures to ensure captive breeding and management strategies. Due to the absence of substantial information on the pangolin, endocrinology and reproductive physiology studies around the globe are merely based on captive observations that have failed to report the chronographs and hormonal cyclicity of the reproductive events. This study attempts to evaluate the annual pattern of reproductive steroids (estradiol-17β and progesterone) and prolactin in 16 wild female Taiwanese pangolins rehabilitated by Pingtung Rescue Center of Endangered Wild Animals, Taiwan. Novel immunoassays, i.e., chemiluminometric assays, have been used to quantify the serum reproductive steroids and contribute to a better understanding of the endocrine correlates of function in the Taiwanese pangolin. The hematological findings were characterized by monthly median concentration. The circulating reproductive hormones demonstrated seasonal reproductive activity by confirming a peak in serum estradiol concentrations in December and considerably higher progesterone concentrations in November/December, and March/April. The rise in prolactin in December and peak values in April suggest participation in the ovulatory process and mating. Collectively, these findings can help maximize the reproductive efficiency of pangolin species in captivity, i.e., by timely pairing and prioritizing the care of the breeding pairs to optimize breeding efforts and, therefore, effectively support conservation breeding programs and restore the natural population in the ecosystems.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5636/3/2/19conservation physiologyseasonal breedingTaiwanese pangolinestradiolprolactinprogesterone |
| spellingShingle | Bharti Arora Kurtis Jai-Chyi Pei Andre Ganswindt Seasonal Pattern in Serum Estradiol, Progesterone, and Prolactin Concentrations in Rescued Wild Female Taiwanese Pangolin (<i>Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla</i>) Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens conservation physiology seasonal breeding Taiwanese pangolin estradiol prolactin progesterone |
| title | Seasonal Pattern in Serum Estradiol, Progesterone, and Prolactin Concentrations in Rescued Wild Female Taiwanese Pangolin (<i>Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla</i>) |
| title_full | Seasonal Pattern in Serum Estradiol, Progesterone, and Prolactin Concentrations in Rescued Wild Female Taiwanese Pangolin (<i>Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla</i>) |
| title_fullStr | Seasonal Pattern in Serum Estradiol, Progesterone, and Prolactin Concentrations in Rescued Wild Female Taiwanese Pangolin (<i>Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla</i>) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seasonal Pattern in Serum Estradiol, Progesterone, and Prolactin Concentrations in Rescued Wild Female Taiwanese Pangolin (<i>Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla</i>) |
| title_short | Seasonal Pattern in Serum Estradiol, Progesterone, and Prolactin Concentrations in Rescued Wild Female Taiwanese Pangolin (<i>Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla</i>) |
| title_sort | seasonal pattern in serum estradiol progesterone and prolactin concentrations in rescued wild female taiwanese pangolin i manis pentadactyla pentadactyla i |
| topic | conservation physiology seasonal breeding Taiwanese pangolin estradiol prolactin progesterone |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5636/3/2/19 |
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