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The aim of this study was to examine relationships among serum progestagens, cortisol, and prolactin in pregnant and normal cycling Asian elephants living in tourist camps in northern Thailand. Samples were collected twice a month for 22 months from nine elephants. Of those, four were pregnant (24.3 ± 2.9 years of age; range 21–28 years) and five (20.2 ± 9.6 years; range 8–34 years) exhibited normal ovarian cycles based on serum progestagen analyses. Gestation was divided into three periods: 1st (week 1–31), 2nd (week 32–62), and 3rd (week 63 to parturition), while the estrous cycle was divided into the follicular and luteal phases. Serum progestagens were higher during the luteal phase of the cycle (p < 0.003), whereas cortisol and prolactin were similar. In pregnant elephants, there were no differences in serum progestagens or cortisol concentrations across the three gestational periods, whereas prolactin concentrations increased significantly during the 2nd and 3rd periods (p < 0.0001). By contrast, prolactin concentrations in nonpregnant elephants were consistently low throughout the ovarian cycle. In one cycling female, prolactin concentrations were similar to pregnant elephants, perhaps because she was an allomother to two calves. Another cycling female exhibited consistently elevated cortisol concentrations, 5 to 10 times higher than the other elephants. There were no correlations between serum progestagens, cortisol, and prolactin throughout gestation; however, serum progestagens and cortisol were positively related in cycling elephants (r = 0.386, p < 0.001). From our results, there were a number of individual differences in reproductive hormonal patterns, so it is important to develop personalized monitoring programs for each elephant to enhance breeding success and create sustaining captive populations of elephants in Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritic disease, results from destruction of joint cartilage and underlying bone. It affects animals, including Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in captivity, leading to joint pain and lameness. However, publications regarding OA pathogenesis in this animal are still limited. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), IL-17A, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and oncostatin M (OSM), known mediators of OA pathogenesis, and lipopolysaccharides on the expression of cartilaginous degrading enzymes, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3 and MMP-13, in elephant articular chondrocytes (ELACs) cultures. Anti-arthritic drugs and the active compounds of herbal plants were tested for their potential attenuation against overproduction of these enzymes. Results: Among the used cytokines, OSM showed the highest activation of MMP3 and MMP13 expression, especially when combined with IL-1β. The combination of IL-1β and OSM was found to activate phosphorylation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway in ELACs. Lipopolysaccharides or cytokine-induced expressions were suppressed by pharmacologic agents used to treat OA, including dexamethasone, indomethacin, etoricoxib, and diacerein, and by three natural compounds, sesamin, andrographolide, and vanillylacetone. Conclusions: Our results revealed the cellular mechanisms underlying OA in elephant chondrocytes, which is triggered by proinflammatory cytokines or lipopolysaccharides and suppressed by common pharmacological or natural medications used to treat human OA. These results provide a more basic understanding of the pathogenesis of elephant OA, which could be useful for adequate medical treatment of OA in this animal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]