Determinação da taxa metabólica basal em cutias, Dasyprocta azarae, por calorimetria indireta

Abstract

RESUMO.-A melhor ferramenta para comparação fisiológica entre organismos diferentes é a taxa metabólica basal, interrelação fundamental que existe entre todos os seres vivos.Mensurações diretas das concentrações de oxigênio e dióxido de carbono, pela análise do ar inspirado e expirado, podem ser usadas para a mensuração de taxa metabólica. Este trabalho foi executado com o propósito de aferir as taxas metabólicas basal e específica, e reexaminar o escalonamento do metabolismo basal em cutias (Dasyprocta azarae). Foram utilizadas 34 cutias (D. azarae) adultas sadias, sendo 9 machos não castrados, 9 machos castrados e 16 fê-meas, pertencentes ao plantel do Criadouro Científico do Museu de História Natural Capão da Imbuia, Curitiba, PR. Os animais passaram por jejum prévio de 6 horas e foram acondicionados em caixas especiais, com temperatura ambiente controlada (22,0±1,0ºC), sendo então submetidos à aferição da taxa metabólica basal, por calorimetria indireta. The best way to compare different organisms is the basal metabolic rate, a fundamental interrelation existent among all living beings. Direct measures of oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations by evaluation of inspired and expired air can be used to measure metabolic rate. So, this research was done in order to measure basal and specific metabolic rates in agoutis (Dasyprocta azarae), and reexamine the scaling of basal metabolism in this species. There were used 34 adult healthy agoutis (9 non-castrated males, 9 castrated males, and 16 females), that belong to the wild animal scientific breeding facility of the Natural History Museum of the Curitiba city, State of Paraná, Brazil. After a six-hour fasting the animals were placed in special boxes under controlled temperature (22.0±1.0 o C), and submitted to measuring of the basal metabolic rate, by indirect calorimetry. It was used the Deltatrac®II metabolic monitor, usually indicated to measure carbon dioxide production (VCO 2 ) and oxygen consumption (VO 2 ) in human beings, by measuring variations in the concentration of VCO 2 and of VO 2 , with a precision of 0.01%. The specific metabolic rate was calculated after determination of the basal metabolic rate and the obtained data were analyzed by inductive statistics. The hypotheses tests for comparison among samples indicated that the specific metabolic rate is higher in non-castrated males than in females and castrated males (significance of 5%), and that the specific metabolic rate of females and castrated males are equivalent (significance of 1%). In addition, analysis of the correlation of experimental points indicates that another variable beyond body size affects the metabolic rate of non-castrated males (significance of 1%), and therefore new studies on the metabolism of Dasyprocta azarae are required.INDEX TERMS: Agouti, Dasyprocta azarae, basal metabolic rate, indirect calorimetry.

Macroscopic description of teeth of Azara's agouti (Dasyprocta azarae)

“…The aim of the present study was to macroscopically describe the teeth of Azara´s agouti, an animal of increasing scientiϐic interest, as shown in recent papers about the axial (Oliveira et al 2009a) and apendicular (Oliveira et al 2009b) skeletons, besides anesthesia , surgery (Martins et al 2009) and determination of the basal metabolic rate (Brito et al 2010). …”

Serological evaluation of ovarian steroids of red-rumped agouti (Dasyprocta leporina) during the estrous cycle phases

“…Females have been reported as polyestrous spontaneous ovulators demonstrating non-seasonal breeding, with an estrous cycle of 31 days (Roth-Kolar, 1957;Smythe, 1970;Weir, 1971;Meritt, 1983;Guimarães et al, 1997;Campos et al, 2015) and a period of sexual receptivity of approximately 24 h (Guimarães et al, 2011). Gestation length is 104 ± 1.3 days, with an average litter of two precocious young (Roth-Kolar, 1957;Guimarães et al, 1997;Langer, 2003;Brown-Uddenberg et al, 2004;Brito et al, 2010).…”

Análise microbiológica do útero e da vagina em cutias nulíparas e não-nulíparas (Dasyprocta azarae)

“…A cutia constitui uma espécie com crescente interesse científico, fato que pode ser observado em diversos artigos recentes sobre determinação da taxa metabólica basal (BRITO et al, 2010), anatomia dos esqueletos axial (OLIVEIRA et al, 2009a) e do apendicular (OLIVEIRA et al, 2009b), além de anestesia (MARTINS et al, 2011a), cirurgia (MARTINS et al, 2010), morfologia uterina (MARTINS et al, 2011b) e determinação da microbiota intestinal (OLIVEIRA et al, 2009c).…”