Abstract
Salivary and plasma progesterone were measured in normally cycling (n=10) and castrated (n=4) femaleCebus monkeys (Cebus apella). During the follicular phase, progesterone levels in saliva ranged between 0.05 and 1.40 ng/ml and in the luteal phase they increased to between 0.22 and 4.70 ng/ml. These values represented on average 6.5 and 3.2% of those values measured in plasma, for the follicular and luteal phases, respectively. The regression analysis of the steroid concentrations in both fluids showed a highly significant correlation (r=0.8985,n=180,P<0.0001). Ovariectomized monkeys had consistently low salivary (0.37±0.02 ng/ml) and plasma (4.70±0.25 ng/ml) progesterone, showing a low, but significnat, correlation coefficient (r=0.2592,n=58,P=0.047). The ratio of plasma/salivary progesterone was significantly higher in the luteal phase (31.09±1.65) than in the follicular phase (23.06±2.26) and in castrated monkeys (16.00±1.38). The free fraction of progesterone constituted 5.3±0.2% of the total plasma progesterone during the follicular phase and 3.3±0.1% during the luteal phase. Ovariectomized monkeys showed a significantly higher percentage of free progesterone in plasma (7.7±0.1%). In contrast, free progesterone made up 64.4 and 70.9% of the total salivary progesterone for the follicular and luteal phases, respectively. The proportion of free progesterone in castrated animals was within the range observed in cycling animals. We suggest that the levels of progesterone in the saliva of capuchin monkey follow a pattern similar to that for plasma progesterone, reflecting the free steroid fraction. Thus, the measurement of such steroid in saliva may offer a valuable alternative to plasma determinations for the assessment of the ovarian function inCebus and probably other New World monkey species.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bonney, R. C., Dixson, A. F., and Fleming, D. (1979). Cycling changes in the circulating and urinary levels of ovarian steroids in the adult female owl monkey (Aotus trivirgatus).J. Reprod. Fert. 56: 271–280.
Choe, J. K., Khan-Dawood, F. S., and Dawood, M. Y. (1983). Progesterone and estradiol in the saliva and plasma during the menstrual cycle.Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 147: 557–562.
Dowsett, M., Attree, S. L., Virdee, S. S., and Jeffcoate, S. L. (1985). Oestrogen-related changes in sex hormone binding globulin levels during normal and gonadotrophin stimulated menstrual cycles.Clin. Endocrinol. 23: 303–312.
Ghosh, M., Hutz, R. J., and Dukelow, W. R. (1982). Serum estradiol 17-β, progesterone and relative luteinizing hormone levels inSaimiri sciureus: Cyclic variations and the effects of laparoscopy and follicular aspiration.J. Med. Primatol. 11: 312–318.
Hearn, J. P. (ed.) (1983a).Reproduction in New World Primates, MTP Press, Lancaster, England.
Hearn, J. P. (1983b). The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). In Hearn, J. P. (ed.),Reproduction in New World Primates, MTP Press, Lancaster, England, pp. 181–217.
Hotchkiss, J. (1985). Changes in sex hormone binding globulin capacity in percent free estradiol during development in the female rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta). Relationship to the metabolic clearance rate of estradiol.J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 60: 786–791.
Lequin, R. M., Van der Boogaard, A. Vermeulen J., and Danhoff M. (1986). Progesterone in saliva: pitfalls and consequent implications for accuracy of the determination.Clin. Chem. 32: 831–834.
Nagle, C. A., and Denari, J. H. (1983). The Cebus monkey. In Hearn, J. P. (ed.),Reproduction in New World Primates, MTP Press, Lancaster, England, pp. 41–67.
Nagle, C. A., Denari, J. H., Quiroga, S., Riarte, A., Merlo, A., Germino, I., Gomez Argana, F., and Rosner, J. M. (1979). The plasma pattern of ovarian steroids during the menstrual cycle in the capuchin monkey (Cebus apella).Biol. Reprod. 21: 979–983.
Plymate, S. R., Moore, D. E., Yang Cheng, C., Bardin, C. W., Southworth, M. B., and Levinski, M. J. (1985). Sex hormone-binding globulin changes during the menstrual cycle.J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 61: 993–996.
Preslock, J. P., Hampton, S. H., and Hampton, J. K., Jr. (1973). Cyclic variations of serum progestins and immunoreactive estrogens in marmosets.Endocrinology 92: 1096–1101.
Riad-Fahmy, D., Read, G. F., Walker, R. F., and Griffiths, K. (1982). Steroids in saliva for assessing endocrine function.Endocr. Rev. 3: 367–395.
Sorgo, W., Manella, B., and Zachmann, M. (1983). Radioimmunoassay of progesterone in saliva.Hormone Res. 17: 153–159.
Sufi, S. B., Donaldson, A., Gandy, S. C., Jeffcoate, S. L., Chearskul, S., Goh, H., Hazre, D., Romero, C., and Wang, H. Z. (1985). Multicentre evaluation of assays for estradiol and progesterone in saliva.Clin. Chem. 31: 101–103.
Walker, R. F., Read, G. F., and Riad-Fahmy, D. (1979). Radioimmunoassay of progesterone in saliva: Application to the assessment of the ovarian function.Clin. Chem. 25: 2030–2033.
Wolf, R. C., O'Connor, R. F., and Robinson, J. A. (1977). Cyclic changes in plasma progestins and estrogens in squirrel monkeys.Biol. Reprod. 17: 228–231.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
DiGiano, L., Nagle, C.A., Quiroga, S. et al. Salivary progesterone for the assessment of the ovarian function in the capuchin monkey (Cebus apella). International Journal of Primatology 13, 113–123 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02547837
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02547837