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Kaleta M, Oklestkova J, Klíčová K, Kvasnica M, Koníčková D, Menšíková K, Strnad M, Novák O. Simultaneous Determination of Selected Steroids with Neuroactive Effects in Human Serum by Ultrahigh-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:1990-2005. [PMID: 38655788 PMCID: PMC11099924 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Neuroactive steroids are a group of steroid molecules that are involved in the regulation of functions of the nervous system. The nervous system is not only the site of their action, but their biosynthesis can also occur there. Neuroactive steroid levels depend not only on the physiological state of an individual (person's sex, age, diurnal variation, etc.), but they are also affected by various pathological processes in the nervous system (some neurological and psychiatric diseases or injuries), and new knowledge can be gained by monitoring these processes. The aim of our research was to develop and validate a comprehensive method for the simultaneous determination of selected steroids with neuroactive effects in human serum. The developed method enables high throughput and a sensitive quantitative analysis of nine neuroactive steroid substances (pregnenolone, progesterone, 5α-dihydroprogesterone, allopregnanolone, testosterone, 5α-dihydrotestosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, and epiandrosterone) in 150 μL of human serum by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The correlation coefficients above 0.999 indicated that the developed analytical procedure was linear in the range of 0.90 nmol/L to 28.46 μmol/L in human serum. The accuracy and precision of the method for all analytes ranged from 83 to 118% and from 0.9 to 14.1%, respectively. This described method could contribute to a deeper understanding of the pathophysiology of various diseases. Similarly, it can also be helpful in the search for new biomarkers and diagnostic options or therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Kaleta
- Laboratory
of Growth Regulators, Faculty of Science, Palacký University & Institute of Experimental Botany
of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Šlechtitelů 27, Olomouc 783 71, Czech Republic
- Department
of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University, Olomouc 779 00, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Oklestkova
- Laboratory
of Growth Regulators, Faculty of Science, Palacký University & Institute of Experimental Botany
of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Šlechtitelů 27, Olomouc 783 71, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Klíčová
- Department
of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University, Olomouc 779 00, Czech Republic
- Department
of Neurology, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc 779 00, Czech Republic
| | - Miroslav Kvasnica
- Laboratory
of Growth Regulators, Faculty of Science, Palacký University & Institute of Experimental Botany
of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Šlechtitelů 27, Olomouc 783 71, Czech Republic
| | - Dorota Koníčková
- Department
of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University, Olomouc 779 00, Czech Republic
- Department
of Neurology, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc 779 00, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Menšíková
- Department
of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University, Olomouc 779 00, Czech Republic
- Department
of Neurology, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc 779 00, Czech Republic
| | - Miroslav Strnad
- Laboratory
of Growth Regulators, Faculty of Science, Palacký University & Institute of Experimental Botany
of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Šlechtitelů 27, Olomouc 783 71, Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Novák
- Laboratory
of Growth Regulators, Faculty of Science, Palacký University & Institute of Experimental Botany
of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Šlechtitelů 27, Olomouc 783 71, Czech Republic
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Yang Y, Suwimonteerabutr J, Angkawanish T, Chatdarong K. Serum Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 Is a Biomarker of Testosterone Production and Intact Acrosome in Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus). Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12121570. [PMID: 35739906 PMCID: PMC9219496 DOI: 10.3390/ani12121570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary In Thailand, the low fertility rate of Asian elephants has been identified. Factors contributing to poor semen quality in the elephants are not fully understood. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is related to male infertility. It plays an essential role in testicular development by stimulating cell proliferation, differentiation, and steroidogenesis. In addition, there is increasing evidence that IGF-1 plays a critical role in spermatogenesis. This may be conducive to finding the causes of poor sperm quality in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). In the present study, we investigated the relationships among serum IGF-1, serum testosterone level, and semen parameters in seven elephant bulls. The findings suggest that serum IGF-1 concentration is likely to predict sperm quality like acrosome integrity. The further mechanism by which IGF-1 affects sperm quality requires further investigation. Abstract The objective of this study was to find relationships among serum IGF-1, serum testosterone, seminal plasma IGF-1 concentrations and semen parameters in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). A total of 17 ejaculates (one to three ejaculates/bull) were collected from seven captive elephant bulls by performing rectal massage. Before each ejaculation, blood samples were obtained for serum IGF-1 and testosterone assays. Subsequently, the semen characteristics of each ejaculate were evaluated. Mean serum IGF-1 concentration of elephant bulls was estimated as 326.3 ± 114.6 ng/mL (median, 286.2 ng/mL; range, 167.4–542.7 ng/mL). An increase in serum IGF-1 concentration was found to correlate with the percentage of spermatozoa with intact acrosomes. In addition, IGF-1 concentration was positively correlated with testosterone level. However, seminal IGF-1 concentrations could not be detected. In conclusion, our findings suggest that serum IGF-1 concentration is likely a biomarker of normal testicular functions, particularly spermatogenesis in elephants. Moreover, this commercial IGF-1 ELISA is eligible for analyzing serum IGF-1 concentration in Asian elephants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqing Yang
- Research Unit of Obstetrics and Reproduction in Animals, Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; (Y.Y.); (J.S.)
- The International Graduate Program of Veterinary Science and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Junpen Suwimonteerabutr
- Research Unit of Obstetrics and Reproduction in Animals, Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; (Y.Y.); (J.S.)
| | - Taweepoke Angkawanish
- The Thai Elephant Conservation Center, National Elephant Institute of Thailand, The Forest Industry Organization, Lampang 52190, Thailand;
| | - Kaywalee Chatdarong
- Research Unit of Obstetrics and Reproduction in Animals, Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; (Y.Y.); (J.S.)
- Correspondence:
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Burns SM, Bonier F. A comparison of sex, morphology, physiology and behavior of black-capped chickadees trapped using two common capture methods. PeerJ 2020; 8:e10037. [PMID: 33024645 PMCID: PMC7518160 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Many biological studies require the capture of individuals for sampling, for example for measurement of morphological or physiological traits, or for marking individuals for later observations. Capture methods employed often vary both within and between studies, and these differing methods could be more or less effective in capture of different individuals based on their morphology or behavior. If individuals that are prone to capture by the selected method differ with respect to traits of interest, such sampling bias could generate misleading or simply inaccurate results. The selection of capture methods could introduce two different forms of sampling bias, with the individuals that are sampled differing from the population at large or with individuals sampled via one method differing from individuals that could be sampled using a different method. We investigated this latter form of sampling bias by comparing individual birds sampled using two common capture techniques. We caught free-ranging black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) using walk-in traps baited with seed and mist nets paired with playback of an audio stimulus (conspecific mobbing calls). We measured 18 traits that we expect might vary among birds that are trappable by these differing methods—one that targets birds that are food motivated and potentially less neophobic and another that targets birds that respond readily to a perceived predation risk. We found no differences in the sex, morphology, initial and stress-induced corticosterone concentrations, behavioral response to a novel object, or behavioral response to a predator between individuals captured by these two methods. Individual variation in the behavioral response to a novel object was greater among birds caught by mist nets, suggesting this method might provide a sample that better reflects population-level individual variation. We do not know if the birds caught by these two methods provide a representative sample of the population at large, but can conclude that selection of either of these two common capture methods can similarly sample mean trait values of a population of interest. To accurately assess individual variation, particularly in behavior, mist nets might be preferable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara M Burns
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Frances Bonier
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
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