Measuring and exploring variations of serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in female fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) and leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)

Serum concentration of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a way to estimate the ovarian reserve in many species including domestic cats. It could therefore become an important indicator to manage breeding of wild cat species in captivity. This study focused on 1) validating the AMH Gen II ELISA test, and 2) exploring the relationship between serum AMH with age and estrus stages in fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) and leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis). Blood samples were collected from 11 female fishing cats (5.7 ± 3.2 years old) and 8 female leopard cats (8.1 ± 1.8 years old) subjected to routine annual health check in zoo facilities. The stage of the estrus cycle was estimated from animal history, abdominal sonography and vaginal cytology. Serum AMH was measured by AMH Gen II ELISA. Intra-assay CV and inter-assay CV were 4.11 % and 5.52 %, respectively. Validation of the AMH Gen II ELISA by the linearity of sample dilution in fishing cats and leopard cats was confirmed. In fishing cats, r2 equalled 0.998 and percentage recovery was 83–101 %. In leopard cats, r2 equalled 0.999 and percentage recovery was 96–104 %. Serum AMH concentration ranged from 0.17 to 30.53 ng/mL (averaged 14.88 ± 10.03 ng/mL) in fishing cats and 1.25 to 13.52 ng/mL (averaged 6.25 ± 4.69 ng/mL) in leopard cats. There was no significant relationship between serum AMH concentration and age in both fishing cats (r = − 0.556, P = 0.075) and leopard cats (r = 0.010, P = 0.982). Likewise, there was no difference in AMH concentrations between estrus stage and other stages in both fishing cats (P = 0.069) and leopard cats (P = 0.599). In conclusion, because the limited sample size and the lack of precise information on the estrus phase, the AMH Gen II ELISA shows promising potential for detecting concentrations that may be correlated with age, estrus cycle, and ovarian reserve in future studies.