Monitoring potential semiochemicals in individual mouse urine samples

Summary. This work validates a method for detecting potential semiochemicals in mouse urine samples with a volume as small as 10 μL. Using solid-phase microextraction, gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, we screened 2,3,5-trithiahexane, 2-sec-butyl-4,5-dihydrothiazole, geraniol, indole, trans-β-farnesene and farnesol in individual urine samples taken daily from mice housed under various social conditions. Excretion of 2-sec-butyl-4,5-dihydrothiazole by males did not occur when they were housed in rooms containing no females, but increased when raising the males to rooms containing females. Between-male differences in β-farnesene excretion were observed even in the absence of females. These results highlight the usefulness of the proposed analytical method for research in this area.