Age-related nomograms of serum anti-Mullerian hormone levels in female monkeys: Comparison of rhesus (Macaca mulatta) and cynomolgus (Macaca fascicularis) monkeys.

ABSTRACT

AMH is regarded as a promising predictor for ovarian reserve in humans and non-human primate, and widely used in human medicine to predict ovarian response to gonadotropin, menopause and premature ovarian failure. However, large data set on the range of AMH levels in nonhuman primates is still scarce, which limited its applications largely. In this study, age-related AMH nomograms of rhesus (Macaca mulatta) and cynomolgus (Macaca fascicularis) were produced and compared. 219 rhesus and 529 cynomolgus monkeys ranging from infancy to adult were included. In total, the mean serum AMH levels in cynomolgus monkeys were higher than that of rhesus monkeys (14.6 ±â€¯5.3 ng/ml vs 9.5 ±â€¯6.0 ng/ml, P < 0.001). AMH was inversely correlated with age (r = -0.371, P < 0.001) in rhesus, while the negative correlation did not reach statistical significance in cynomolgus monkeys (r = -0.044, P = 0.156). The maximum mean AMH levels were attained at the subgroup of 4-11 yr and the lowest AMH levels were obtained at the subgroup of ≧12 yr in both primates, corresponding to their fertility potential. In rhesus monkeys, from 1 to 11 years old, AMH level remained stable (1-3 yr ß = 2.784, P = 0.340; 4-11 yr r = 0.100, P = 0.110) whereas from 12 yr onward, an inverse correlation between AMH and age (r = -0.450, P = 0.02) was observed. Similarly, AMH appeared stable from 1 to 3 yr (ß = -2.289, P = 0.429) and showed an inverse correlation with age (r = -0.521, P < 0.001) from 12 yr onward in cynomolgus monkeys, while a positive correlation was observed (r = 0.156, P = 0.001) from 4 to 11 yr. AMH levels were relatively stable across the menstrual cycle in both primates and no seasonal difference for AMH levels was observed in rhesus monkeys. Body mass index did not affect serum AMH levels in both primates. Our nomograms of serum AMH provide a reference guide on AMH longitudinal distribution by age for Macaca monkeys and might facilitate its applications.