URINARY 3-ALPHA,17-BETA-ANDROSTANEDIOL GLUCURONIDE IS A MEASURE OF ANDROGENIC STATUS IN ELD DEER STAGS (CERVUS-ELDI-THAMIN)

To determine the primary excretory by-products of testosterone (T), 85 mu Ci [H-3]T was administered i,v, to two adult Eld's deer stags, Blo od (10 mi) was collected by jugular venipuncture at 0, 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 240, and 480 min after isotope infusion, an d all urine and feces were collected for 96 h after injection. Seventy percent of labeled circulating steroid was conjugated by 30 min posti nfusion. The majority (80.4 +/- 3.2%) of T metabolites were excreted i nto urine, and 95.0 i: 0.9% of these were conjugated, 95.8 +/- 0.2% be ing hydrolyzable with glucuronidase. Seven urinary androgen metabolite s, including androstanediol (5 alpha-androstan-3 alpha-17 beta-diol an d 5 beta-androstan-3 alpha-17 beta-diol), were identified in glucuroni dase-hydrolyzed, ether-extracted Eld's deer urine pools after gas chro matography/ mass spectrometry, A double-antibody I-125 RIA for 5 alpha -androstanediol-3 alpha,17 beta-diol, 17-glucuronide (3 alpha-diol-G) was validated for unprocessed urine, Longitudinal assessments of urine samples collected from 13 stags for 3 yr revealed biological concorda nce between fluctuations in urinary 3 alpha-diol-G and serum T,as well as seasonal changes in secondary sexual characteristics. Overall corr elation between ''same-day'' matched serum T and urinary 3 alpha-diol- G was 0.58, (n = 6; p < 0.001). Thus, monitoring urinary 3 alpha-diol- G provides a noninvasive, alternative method for characterizing male e ndocrine interrelationships in an endangered ungulate species.