| Title: | Remote blubber sampling paired with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for steroidal endocrinology in free-ranging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) |
| Author(s): | Boggs ASP; Ragland JM; Zolman ES; Schock TB; Morey JS; Galligan TM; Dalle Luche G; Balmer BC; Wells RS; Kucklick JR; Schwacke LH; |
| Address: | "National Institute of Standards and Technology, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA. Electronic address: ashley.boggs@nist.gov. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA. National Marine Mammal Foundation, 3419 Maybank Highway, Ste B, Johns Island, SC 29455, USA. Medical University of South Carolina, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA; JHT, Inc. under contract to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Service, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, USA; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, 101 Cheatham Hall, 310 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA. Griffith University, Environmental Futures Research Institute, Southern Ocean Persistent Organic Pollutants Program, 170 Kessels Road, Brisbane, QLD 4111, Australia. Chicago Zoological Society's Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, c/o Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy, Sarasota, FL 34236, USA" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.06.006 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1095-6840 (Electronic) 0016-6480 (Print) 0016-6480 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry allows for the measurement of steroid hormone suites in the blubber of marine mammals. By combining this technology with minimally invasive techniques such as remote biopsy, endocrine profiles can be assessed, allowing for studies of hormonal profile variation over time. In this study, we explored associations among different steroidogenic pathways and seasonal differences in blubber hormone profiles of free-ranging common bottlenose dolphins along the coast of South Carolina, USA. Male dolphins experience a peak in testosterone, androstenedione, progesterone, and 17-hydroxyprogesterone in the spring, likely related to an upregulation of the androgen steroidogenic pathway during mating season. We also observed increased cortisol concentrations during summer compared to winter. Among females, there was an increase in androstenedione with elevated progesterone concentrations indicative of pregnancy, highlighting another potential endocrine marker for pregnancy in free-ranging dolphins. This work emphasizes the importance of selecting the appropriate season for studies on endocrine status to effectively uncover physiological variation or disruption in free-ranging cetaceans" |
| Keywords: | "Adipose Tissue/*metabolism Adrenal Cortex Hormones/metabolism Animals Bottle-Nosed Dolphin/*physiology Chromatography, Liquid/*methods Endocrine System/*metabolism Female Geography Male Pregnancy Quality Control Reproduction Seasons Steroids/*metabolism T;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineBoggs, Ashley S P Ragland, Jared M Zolman, Eric S Schock, Tracey B Morey, Jeanine S Galligan, Thomas M Dalle Luche, Greta Balmer, Brian C Wells, Randall S Kucklick, John R Schwacke, Lori H eng 9999-NIST/ImNIST/Intramural NIST DOC/ Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. 2019/06/15 Gen Comp Endocrinol. 2019 Sep 15; 281:164-172. doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.06.006. Epub 2019 Jun 11" |
