Anti-Müllerian hormone in managed African and Asian rhino species.

Serum collected across the lifespan of four managed rhino species: black (Diceros bicornis, n = 16), white (Ceratotherium simum simum, n = 19), greater one-horned (GOH, Rhinoceros unicornis, n = 11) and Sumatran (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis, n = 6) were validated and analyzed in an anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) enzyme- linked immunoassay. Concentrations of AMH were examined over time, between sexes and throughout different reproductive states which included n = 3 female white rhinos immunocontracepted with porcine zona pellucida (pZP). Across species, males produced higher AMH concentrations compared to females. Among males, AMH concentrations varied by species aside from comparable values secreted between black and white rhinos. The GOH and Sumatran rhino secreted the highest and lowest male AMH concentrations, respectively. However, within each species, AMH concentrations were similar across male age categories. Preliminary insight into male AMH changes from birth to sexual maturity suggest its potential as a marker for onset of testicular maturation. Female black, GOH and Sumatran rhinos secreted comparable AMH concentrations which were higher than those in white rhino. Within each species, inter-individual variation in AMH secretion occurred among females of similar age. While AMH secretion did not differ across the ages sampled for female white (4->26 yr) and GOH (4-26 yr) rhinos, black and Sumatran rhinos >26 and <4 yr, respectively secreted lower AMH compared to conspecific females 7-26 yr of age. Two idiopathic infertility cases corresponded to low (outside species range) AMH values. The establishment of normative AMH concentrations in managed African and Asian rhinos provides an additional metric beyond traditional sex steroids to assess gonadal function. Further work is needed to determine if AMH can predict fertility potential in rhinos.

Indirect coating of RGD peptides using a poly-L-lysine spacer enhances jaw periosteal cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation into osteogenic tissue.

The aim of our study was to generate a biofunctionalized, three-dimensional (3D) biomaterial to enhance jaw periosteal cell (JPC) adhesion and differentiation into osteogenic tissue. Therefore, open-cell polylactic acid (OPLA) scaffolds were coated covalently with different RGD peptides (a conserved recognition sequence of the most ECM proteins--arginine-glycine-asparagine) and different coating variants. The linear and cyclic RGD peptides were either applied directly or indirectly via a poly-L-lysine (PLL) spacer. JPCs were analyzed on coated constructs in 2D and 3D cultures and showed enhanced rates for indirectly coated scaffolds using the PLL spacer. By gene expression, we detected significantly increased levels of osteogenic marker genes, such as alkaline phosphatase, RUNX2, and AMELY in JPCs seeded onto PLL/linear RGD constructs compared to the otherwise-coated constructs. An analysis of the JPC mineralization capacity revealed the highest amounts of calcium-phosphate precipitates in cells growing within the PLL/linear scaffolds. Additionally, the JPC adhesion behavior on OPLA scaffolds seems to be mediated by ITGB3, ITGB1, and ITGAV, as shown by blocking assays. We concluded that coating of OPLA constructs with linear RGD peptides via PLL represents a suitable approach for functionalizing the polymer surface and enhancing adhesion, proliferation, and mineralization of JPCs.