Fernando Centurión-Castro

Perfiles sanguíneos de progesterona y estradiol del Pecari tajacu en cautiverio

The objective was to characterize the levels of progesterone (P4) and 17b estradiol (E-17b) in blood of 11 Pecari tajacu adult females in captivity. The females were in the presence of males but separated by a wire mesh. Blood samples were taken every 6 days during 3 months. The estimation of the levels of the steroid hormones was carried out by radioimmunoassay in solid phase. Hormonal profiles were plotted against time, to determine the duration of each ovarian cycle and the number of cycles. Nine animals showed estrous cycle and 2 did not. The average duration of the ovarian cycle was 26.8±4.8 days. The average concentration of P4 in the luteal phase was 22.95±4.94 ng/mL, and during the follicular phase was 1.2±0.73 ng/mL (p<0.05). The levels of E-17b in the luteal phase were 6.89±2.79 pg/mL, and 32.17±7.29 pg/mL in the follicular phase (p<0.05). The presence of the ovarian cycles was variable, although the duration was within the range of values established for this species under captivity. The synchrony of the hormonal profiles of P4 and E-17b during the ovarian cycle was inverted.