Androgens are products of the gonads and the adrenal cortex and some, like
dihydrotestosterone, are produced by local metabolism within androgen-responsive tissues.
Testosterone regulates thresholds for the display of aggression and varies in
response to the outcome of intermale contests. Minute to minute variation in
testosterone secretion complicates interpretation of serum concentrations, but excreted
androgens, reflecting a number of hours of secretion, may provide a more integrative
portrait of androgen production. DHEA, dehydroepiandrosterone, and its sulfate DHEAS
are adrenal androgens that have been linked to puberty and aging.
Key Applications
Assess aggressive reactivity
Evaluate androgen regulation of male mating competition
Estimate seasonal changes in gonadal activity
Life history and androgen production
Comparative studies of intermale aggression
Capabilities
Fecal Steroid Extraction
Steroids are extracted from fecal samples using a solid phase method that provides a
purified extract that minimizes contaminant interference with immunoassay.
Fecal Testosterone
Fecal testosterone is assayed using solid phase extraction combined with a highly
specific radioimmunoassay for testosterone. We have validated this assay for use
with fecal extracts from sifaka, ringtailed lemurs, baboons, rhesus macaques, and sooty
mangabeys.
Serum Testosterone
We can assay serum testosterone in primates from samples as small as twenty microliters.
Serum DHEAS
We can assay serum DHEAS in primates from samples as small as twenty microliters.
