Serum concentrations of thyroid hormones, cholesterol and triglyceride, and their correlations together in clinically healthy camels (Camelus dromedarius): Effects of season, sex and age

Abstract

To evaluate the effects of season, sex and age on serum concentrations of thyroid hormones, cholesterol and triglyceride, and their correlations together in dromedarian camels, these parameters were measured in 180 clinically healthy dromedary camels. No significant difference was detected for the measured serum parameters between the two sexes and among the different age groups of camels and none of them had significant correlation with the age of the animals. There was a significant correlation between serum T₄ and triglyceride (r = -0.243, <em>p </em>= 0.002). There were significant differences between summer and winter seasons in the serum concentrations of T₄ (<em>p </em>< 0.001), T₃ (<em>p </em>= 0.01) and triglyceride (<em>p</em> < 0.001). In winter, the serum concentration of triglyceride had a significant correlation with the age of the sampled camels (r = -0.235, <em>p </em>= 0.026). In male camels,T₄had a marginally significant correlation with cholesterol (r= -0.158, <em>p </em>= 0.06).The effects of season, sex and age on the serum concentrations and relationships between thyroid hormones, cholesterol and triglyceride in dromedary camels can be proposed as the probable causes of the controversial findings in the previous studies.