Metabólitos fecais de cortisol, estrógeno e progesterona em fêmeas de sauim (Saguinus ursulus, Primate, Callitrichidae)

Abstract

Studies related to the reproduction of non-human primates are essential for the maintenance of biodiversity and for the conservation of endangered species. Black-handed Tamarin (Saguinus ursulus) is a neotropical primate vulnerable due to great habitat loss and the anthropic pressure in its geographic distribution area. Little is known about the reproduction of these primates in captivity, probably due to the fact that information on its reproductive biology is extremely limited, Therefore, it is necessary to improve the reproductive management and increase the reproduction in captivity of this species. Here we validated the measurements of fecal metabolites of cortisol, estrogen and progesterone in order to characterize ovarian activity. We used this approach to provide the first data on the sub-infertility based on endocrine information from this species in captivity. We collected fecal samples from female Tamarins for thirty consecutive days, totalizing 161 samples. Our results provide a characterization of these monkey’s reproductive endocrinology, and confirm that monitoring of fecal hormone is an effective way to monitor females to determine possible reproductive failures. Despite the small sample size, our study shows the general validity of measurements of the fecal metabolite of the sex hormone for reproductive monitoring in Tamarins. Thus, the methods described here can help improve the reproductive management of species in captivity.