Adiposity and Reproductive Cycling Status in Zoo African Elephants

Overview

Journal Obesity (Silver Spring)

Specialties Endocrinology
Nutritional Sciences
Physiology

Date 2017 Dec 22

PMID 29265776

Citations 7

Authors

Daniella E Chusyd

Janine L Brown

Catherine Hambly

Maria S Johnson

Kari Morfeld

Amit Patki

John R Speakman

David B Allison

Tim R Nagy

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: The majority of zoo African elephants exhibit abnormal reproductive cycles, but it is unclear why. Acyclicity has been positively associated with body condition scores. The objective of this study was to measure body composition and examine the relationship between adiposity and cyclicity status, mediated by glucose, insulin, leptin, and inflammation.

Methods: Body composition was assessed by deuterium dilution in 22 African elephants. Each elephant was weighed and given deuterated water orally (0.05 mL/kg), and blood was collected from the ear prior to and five times after deuterium administration. Glucose, insulin, leptin, and proinflammatory biomarker concentrations in serum were determined.

Results: Body fat percentage ranged from 5.24% to 15.97%. Fat adjusted for fat free mass (FFM) and age was not significantly associated with cyclicity status (P = 0.332). Age was the strongest predictor of cyclicity status (P = 0.040). Fat was correlated with weight (ρ = 0.455, P = 0.044) and when adjusted for FFM with circulating glucose (ρ = 0.520, P = 0.022) and showed a trend for association with leptin (unadjusted: ρ = 0.384, P = 0.095; adjusted for FFM: ρ = 0.403, P = 0.087).

Conclusions: Deuterium dilution appears to be an available technique to measure body composition in African elephants. In this sample, fat was not associated with cyclicity status, and age may be more important to cyclicity status.

Citing Articles

Hunting and processing of straight-tusked elephants 125.000 years ago: Implications for Neanderthal behavior.

Gaudzinski-Windheuser S, Kindler L, MacDonald K, Roebroeks W Sci Adv. 2023; 9(5):eadd8186.

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RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN REPRODUCTIVE AND BONE BIOMARKERS AND OSTEOARTHRITIS IN ZOO ASIAN () AND AFRICAN () ELEPHANTS.

Chusyd D, Brown J, Golzarri-Arroyo L, Dickinson S, Kraus V, Siegal-Willott J J Zoo Wildl Med. 2023; 53(4):801-810.

PMID: 36640083 PMC: 10150656. DOI: 10.1638/2021-0080.

Adiposity, reproductive and metabolic health, and activity levels in zoo Asian elephant ().

Chusyd D, Nagy T, Golzarri-Arroyo L, Dickinson S, Speakman J, Hambly C J Exp Biol. 2021; 224(Pt 2).

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Air temperature and diet influence body composition and water turnover in zoo-living African elephants ().

Pontzer H, Rimbach R, Paltan J, Ivory E, Kendall C R Soc Open Sci. 2021; 7(11):201155.

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Using Deuterium Oxide as a Non-Invasive, Non-Lethal Tool for Assessing Body Composition and Water Consumption in Mammals.

Hooper S, Eshelman A, Cowan A, Roistacher A, Paneitz T, Amelon S J Vis Exp. 2020; (156).

PMID: 32150166 PMC: 10228182. DOI: 10.3791/59442.

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