Avaliação dos parâmetros morfofisiológicos como biomarcadores em primatas neotropicais relevantes para pesquisa biomédica.

Abstract

Non-human primates (NHP) are a varied group and have many behavioral and physiological similarities with humans. For this reason, they are excellent comparative models for biomedical, evolutionary, and aging studies. Thus, it is essential to monitor the health of NHP using health and senescence biomarkers, which include routine tests such as hemograms, serum biochemistry, hormone levels, and imaging tests. The main group of hormones used to assess stress and well-being are glucocorticoids (GC), but attempts have been made to associate GC with other markers, such as dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), for a more accurate assessment of the condition of these animals. Thus, Chapter 1 is a review regarding the use of the squirrel monkey (genus Saimiri) as an experimental model for studies of pelvic disorders in women, discussing the main similarities and differences found. Chapter 2 approaches the validation of the DHEAS assay in howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya), owl monkeys (Aotus azarai), and capuchin monkeys (Sapajus apella), in feces and blood samples. Chapter 3 consists of renal evaluation using ultrasound and laboratory tests in howler monkeys (n = 20) and capuchin monkeys (n = 21), considering the effects of sex and age. And Chapter 4 considered the results of blood tests and serum biochemistry and focused on howler monkeys (n = 20) and capuchin monkeys (n = 21). In general, it was observed that the squirrel monkey is a good comparative model for the study of pelvic disorders in women. In addition, the validation of DHEAS assay in blood and feces samples from the three studied species was confirmed by the increase in the target hormones, the parallelism, and precision tests, showing higher concentrations in howler monkeys. In the renal evaluation, differences between genders, ages, and species were found, suggesting that howlers have a faster aging mechanism than capuchin monkeys, however, high metabolic demands in the latter. In the hematological and serum biochemistry tests, the effect of species, sex, age, and level of parasitism on several parameters was observed. Therefore, the NHP, especially the platyrrhines, are important animals in biomedical and comparative morphophysiology studies. The differences found in the biomarkers of these species may indicate how they adapt to habitat and management conditions, and the implications of this for the survival of these animals and demonstrate the clinical relevance for assessing animal health and the adequacy of the creation of these programs.