Antonella Comin

Plasma and Follicular Fluid Fatty Acid Profiles in Dairy Cows

Composition of follicular fluid to which the preovulatory follicle is exposed may be one of the major factors determining subsequent fertility, as fatty acids are a precursor of hormones involved in dominance, ovulation and atresia mechanisms. The objective of this paper is to observe fatty acid profiles in various lipid classes according to estrogenic activity of follicles. For each of the 18 cows, we analysed plasma and follicular fluid fatty acid profiles of phospholipids, non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), cholesteryl esters and triglycerides fractions. Follicles were classified as active (ratio oestrogen to progesterone E2/P4 > 1) and inactive (E2/P4 < 1). For seven cows, we get both types of follicles, six had only one active follicle and five cows had only one inactive follicle. The NEFA profile for palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, C20:3n6, arachidonic acid and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA; p < 0.001) is different between inactive and active follicles and plasma. Compared with active follicular fluid and plasma, follicular fluid of inactive follicles showed lower stearic acid, higher oleic acid, arachidonic acid and DPA (p < 0.05) in phospholipids. No significant differences were observed in the cholesteryl ester fraction, which is composted mainly of linoleic acid. Triglyceride concentrations were too low to get reliable results. This study suggests that follicles have a specific fatty acid metabolism depending on oestrogen activity.

Hair cortisol level as a retrospective marker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in horse foals.

Stimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and elevated cortisol concentrations in fetal plasma are associated with foal maturity, viability and adaptation to independent life. However, non-invasive measurement of cortisol in hair samples has not yet been validated in horses. The current study developed a radioimmunoassay to analyse cortisol in horse hair and was used to measure cortisol hair concentration at birth and at 30 and 60 days of age as a retrospective study of HPA axis activity. Cortisol was detectable in the hair of foals from birth until 2 months, but decreased with time and varied greatly between individuals. Analysis of hair cortisol could be useful for non-invasive retrospective studies of HPA axis activity in perinatal horse.

How type of parturition and health status influence hormonal and metabolic profiles in newborn foals.

Thyroid hormones, insulin growth factor I (IGF-I) and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) represent important hormonal and metabolic factors associated with perinatal growth and maturation. Their action could be influenced by the type of parturition and the health status of the foal and therefore the aim of this work is to evaluate their plasma concentrations in newborn foals during the first 2 wks of life. Three groups of subjects were enrolled: 15 healthy foals born by spontaneous parturition, 24 healthy foals born by induced parturition and 26 pathologic foals. From each of the healthy foals, blood was collected at 10, 20 and 30 minutes, 3 and 12 hours from birth, daily from Day 1 to Day 7, and at Day 10 and 14 of life. In pathologic foals samples were collected twice a day from the day of admission at the hospital until the day of discharge or death. Thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) and IGF-I were analyzed by radioimmunoassay and NEFA by enzymatic-colorimetric methods. In all the three groups a declining trend of T3 and T4 plasma concentrations was detectable, with lower levels in the pathologic group compared to healthy foals. Spontaneous foals showed higher levels of T3 at 7 d compared to induced foals, while T4 levels were higher in spontaneous vs. induced foals before 6 h of life, at three and seven days. IGF-I showed increasing plasma concentrations in all three considered groups. No differences were found between healthy and pathologic foals. NEFA in spontaneous and induced healthy foals showed a declining trend with higher levels during the first hours of life. Pathologic foals presented higher levels compared to spontaneous foals only at 24 h and 10 d. These data suggest that the type of foaling could influence the reference ranges for thyroid hormones. Moreover, pathologic foals showed some hormonal and metabolic differences related to their health status. Above all changes of thyroid hormones levels, early in postnatal life, could be a cause, and not only a consequence, of the diseased condition of these foals.

Selected Metabolic and Hormonal Profiles during Maintenance of Spontaneous Ovarian Cysts in Dairy Cows

Information is lacking regarding the relationship between metabolic and hormonal profiles and the maintenance of spontaneous ovarian cyst disease in dairy cows. For this reason, the concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and cortisol (C) were investigated during the spontaneous course of ovarian cyst disease in dairy cows (n=6) between the 7th and 16th weeks post-partum (PP). The control group consisted of normally cycling cows (n=6). Blood samples were collected twice a day, and plasma was analysed using different techniques. Progesterone and 15-ketodihydro-PGF(2α) plasma profiles were investigated to confirm the ovulatory or anovulatory conditions of the cows. Cortisol plasma levels were not significantly different among sampling times within each group or between the two groups. NEFA plasma levels were significantly higher in cycling cows compared to cystic cows at the 16th week PP (p<0.01), but with rather low values, indicating by now sparse mobilization of fat stores. Insulin-like growth factor I plasma concentrations were higher in cystic cows during the 8th, 10th, 11th (p<0.01) and 16th week PP (p<0.05), indicating that the presence of ovarian cysts coincides with increased IGF-I levels. These results suggest no influence of cortisol and NEFA levels in cysts maintenance, while a possible involvement of IGF-I can be suspected not only in the pathogenesis, as already known, but also in the maintenance of spontaneous cystic ovarian disease in cattle.

Plasma LH, Corticoid and Sex Steroid Variations in Camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Relation to Seasonal Climatic Changes

Abstract Male and female camels both have sexual behaviour influenced by the environmental conditions, and the relationship between climatic changes and the reproductive function in camels has already been shown. In the present study, we have investigated the seasonal variations of sex steroids, LH and corticoids in both male and female dromedaries in relation to the climatic changes that occur throughout the year in Somalia. Data were collected from groups of sexually mature camels: 87 males (M) and 71 females (F) were studied with an average age of 10.6 ± 2.0 and 11.3 ± 3.3 years, respectively. Meteorological parameters as total rainfall, relative humidity and temperature were recorded monthly. Plasma hormones were determined by RIA or EIA methods. The average plasma levels of androgens ranged from 42.6 ± 97.4 to 1072 ± 500.1 pg/ml, with the lowest levels during the dry season and the highest during the rainy or reproductive season. LH levels ranged from 0.5 ± 0.3 to 1.1 ± 0.4 ng/ml in M and 0.2 ± 0.1 to 1.2 ± 0.8 in F. Plasma oestradiol levels ranged from 10.2 ± 9.4 to 37.1 ± 11.3 pg/ml in F with constant and consistent fluctuations throughout the year but with no obvious relation to the reproductive season. Corticoid plasma concentrations varied considerably and ranged from 5.4 ± 3.0 to 62.0 ± 37.0 ng/ml in M and 7.5 ± 5.4 to 62.2 ± 21.3 in F. It emerged from this study that male reproductive activity is considerably influenced by rainfall. The correlation between blood corticoid levels in both sex and climatic parameters seems the most interesting one since the highest correlation coefficient was recorded (0.79 in M and 0.69 in F). Adrenal function was stimulated both in extreme drought and heavy rainfall conditions.

Reproductive performance of dairy cows with luteal or follicular ovarian cysts after treatment with buserelin

In dairy farm management economic losses resulting from cystic ovarian degeneration are well known. In spite of this, neither the definition nor the aetiopathology of ovarian cysts are clear and agreed upon. Also the usual classification in luteal and follicular cysts, requiring ultrasound examination together with assessment of P4 to be accurate, is not very helpful in field conditions. Consequently a single treatment is often provided for both types of cysts, and since the 1970s treatments with GnRH and its analogues have been considered very useful. Nevertheless differences in recovery rates after GnRH treatment in animals with either luteal or follicular cysts are reported. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate recovery rate, recovery time and conception rate after treatment with buserelin (GnRH-analogue) in cows with ovarian luteal or follicular cysts. In a 5 years period, 150 cows with cysts out of a total of 990 animals, were detected and treated intravenously between 45 and 60 days PP with 20μg buserelin. No statistically significant differences were found in recovery rates and in conception rates between the two types of cysts. Comparison of recovery times showed significantly shorter recovery for cows with luteal cysts. The results emphasise the usefulness of GnRH to treat ovarian cysts regardless of their type, in relation to both recovery and conception rates. Intervals from treatment to resumption of ovarian activity were affected by the characteristics of ovarian cysts, with a faster recovery for the luteal type.

IGF-I and NEFA concentrations in fetal fluids of term pregnancy dogs.

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) play an essential role in fetal growth and development. To date, fetal fluids IGF-I and NEFA levels at term canine pregnancy are unknown and could be related to the neonatal development and breed size. For these reasons, the aims of the present study were as follows: (1) to evaluate IGF-I and NEFA concentrations in fetal fluids collected from normally developed and viable newborn puppies born at term of normal pregnancies; (2) to assess possible differences between IGF-I and NEFA levels in amniotic compared with allantoic fluid; (3) to detect possible relationship between breed body size and IGF-I and NEFA amniotic and allantoic concentrations; (4) to evaluate possible differences in IGF-I fetal fluids levels between male and female puppies; and (5) to assess possible correlations between the two hormones in each type of fluid. The study enrolled 25 pure breed bitches submitted to elective Cesarean section at term because of the high risk of dystocia or previous troubles at parturition. At surgery, amniotic and allantoic fluids were collected and assayed for IGF-I and NEFA. IGF-I and NEFA amounts in both amniotic and allantoic fluids of different breed size bitches (small: ≤10 kg; medium: 11-25 kg; large: 26-40 kg) were detected, as well as the effect of gender on IGF-I levels. On a total of 73 amniotic and 76 allantoic samples collected by normal, viable, and mature newborns, the mean IGF-I concentration was significantly higher in amniotic than in allantoic fluid in all three groups, but the amniotic IGF-I levels were significantly lower in small and medium size bitches when compared with large ones. No significant differences were found in allantoic IGF-I concentrations among size groups. A significant effect of the puppy gender on IGF-I content in both fetal fluids was not reported. Regarding NEFA, in all the three groups, the mean NEFA concentration did not significantly differ between amnion and allantois, but in both fetal fluids, higher NEFA levels were detected in samples belonging to small breeds when compared with medium and large. These data strongly indicated that, also in the dog, a relation between fetal fluids IGF-I and NEFA concentrations and breed size exists. Further research is needed to elucidate the possible role of IGF-I and NEFA in the pathologic conditions related to canine fetal growth.

Superovulatory and endocrinological responses of simmental cows treated either with PMSG or hMG or in combination

Abstract Variations in the plasma concentration of progesterone, total nonconjugated estrogens and luteinizing hormone (LH) were measured in Italian Simmental cows to compare the effects of different superovulation regimens using pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) and human menopausal gonadotrophin (hMG), administered either singly or in combination. The superovulatory response, expressed in terms of the number of recovered and/or transferable ova, was also examined statistically. The cows were divided into four groups, three of which (A, B, C) received different treatments intended to induce superovulation, while the fourth group (D) was used as the control to evaluate endocrinological changes induced by the treatments. Group A cows (n=17) received a single dose of 3000 IU PMSG on Days 11 to 12 of the estrous cycle. Group B cows (n=12) received 1000 IU PMSG on Days 11 to 12, followed by seven sequential injections of decreasing doses of hMG at 8-h intervals, and a total of 297.6 IU of FSH and 297.6 IU of LH. Group C cows (n=24) received nine decreasing injections of hMG and a total of 1575 IU of FSH and 1575 IU of LH, at Days 11 to 12 of estrous cycle. All the treated animals and three controls were administered 20 mg PGF 2α on Days 13 to 14 of estrous cycle to induce luteolysis. The experimental results showed a) an intense steroidogenic response to treatment in Groups A and C which, particularly in Group A, could have prejudiced a normal return to reproductive activity; b) a controlled response in Group B; and c) the highest percentage of transferable ova with the combined PMSG and hMG treatment.

Recovery Rate and Recovery Time in Cows with Luteal and Follicular Ovarian Cysts after Treatment with Buserelin

M.C. Veronesi1*, M. Battocchio1, F. Cairoli1, A. Comin2 and M. Isola3 1Istituto di Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica Veterinaria, Facolta di Medicina Veterinaria, Universita di Milano, Milano; 2Dipartimento di Scienze Alimentari, Facolta di Medicina Veterinaria, Universita di Udine, Udine; 3Cattedra di Biometria e Statistica Medica, Facolta di Medicina, Universita di Udine, Udine, Italy *Correspondence: Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Veterinarie, Sezione di Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica Veterinaria, Facolta di Medicina Veterinaria, V ia Celoria, 10, 20133 Milano, Italy E-mail: maria.veronesi@unimi.it

Hormonal and metabolic profiles in post partum ovarian cysts in dairy cows

Hormonal and metabolic profiles in post partum ovarian cysts in dairy cows F. Cairoli & A. Comin & S. Scocca & U. Fazzini & I. De Amicis & M. Battocchio Published online: 7 August 2008 # Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2008