Anti-Müllerian hormone serum concentrations in neonatal, infantile and prepubertal cats

FAYA, M ; MARCHETTI, C; PRIOTTO, M; GRISOLIA.ROMERO MARIELA, ; GOBELLO C, LAPUENTE C.

Milan

Congreso; 24th EVSSAR Congress in a Joint Meeting with the 9th Quadrennial International Symposium on Canine and Feline Reproduction, Milan; 2022

The European Veterinary Society for Small Animal Reproduction

The anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a member of the transforming growth factor β superfamily. AMH is produced by the Sertoli cells of fetus testes being responsible for the regression of the Müllerian ducts [1,2]. In prepuberal male humans, AMH is secreted at high levels by Sertoli cells until the onset of puberty when testosterone down-regulates its levels throughout life [1]. Thus, prepuberal AMH concentrations could be used to assess the presence of the testes, congenital hypogonadism or delayed puberty [1]. In females AMH circulates almost undetectable at birth with a slight increase within the first years, prior to puberty [3] when it is first expressed in granulosa cells of the recruited preantral and small antral follicles. In this gender, AMH is not only a serum marker of ovarian reserve but a wider functional parameter to assess both ovarian stimulation or contraceptive protocols.There is very scarce information concerning AMH serum concentrations in neonatal, infantile and prepubertal cats. As AMH could serve as an early biochemical marker of male and female cat pathophysiology we should be aware of its serum concentrations in the different life stages. The aim of this study was to report AMH serum concentrations in neonatal, infantile and prepubertal female and male domestic cats. Thirty-one, 4 to 28 weeks-old (14.82±6.24), short-hair prepubertal female (n= 20) and male (n= 11) kittens born and reared in our Institutional Colony (14:10 L: D) were included in this study (IACUC Approval 99-1-19T). A single blood sample was collected from each cat jugular vein. Serum was stored frozen at -70°C until AMH (Elecsys®, Cobas, Roche Diagnostics International Ltd., Switzerland) analysis. The AMH electrochemiluminescence immunoassay was biochemically and biologically validated for the species. Serum AMH concentrations were compared between genders by the Student t test. For each gender, different stages i.e. neonatal ≤ 8 w; n = 8), infantile (12-16.5 w; n = 14), and prepuberal (> 18 w; n = 9) were compared by one- way ANOVA followed Tukey test. There was a high variability of serum AMH concentrations in females (0.85 to 23 ng/mL) while in all males AMH levels were above the detection limit being higher than the females (> 23 vs. 9.49± 1.37 ng/mL; P< 0.01). In females, neonatal (2.56±1.10 ng/mL) serum concentrations were lower than infantile (15.00±4.66 ng/mL) and prepubertal (8.99±4.29 ng/mL) ones which also differed between themselves (P< 0.01).It was concluded that in the domestic cat, male AMH prepubertal serum concentrations are higher than female´s and need previous dilution to be measured. In females, neonatal levels were the lowest. Further description of prepubertal AMH concentrations is still needed.[1] Grinspon RP, Rey RA. Anti-Müllerian hormone and Sertoli cell function in pediatric male hypogonadism. Horm Res Paediatr 2010;73:81-92. [2] Lee MM, Donahoe PK. Müllerian-inhibiting substance: a gonadal hormone with multiple functions. Endocr Rev 1993;14:152-64. [3] Visser JA, Themmen APN. Anti-Müllerian hormone and folliculogenesis. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2005;234:81-6.