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Hess RA, Park CJ, Soto S, Reinacher L, Oh JE, Bunnell M, Ko CJ. Male animal sterilization: history, current practices, and potential methods for replacing castration. Front Vet Sci 2024; 11:1409386. [PMID: 39027909 PMCID: PMC11255590 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1409386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Sterilization and castration have been synonyms for thousands of years. Making an animal sterile meant to render them incapable of producing offspring. Castration or the physical removal of the testes was discovered to be the most simple but reliable method for managing reproduction and sexual behavior in the male. Today, there continues to be global utilization of castration in domestic animals. More than six hundred million pigs are castrated every year, and surgical removal of testes in dogs and cats is a routine practice in veterinary medicine. However, modern biological research has extended the meaning of sterilization to include methods that spare testis removal and involve a variety of options, from chemical castration and immunocastration to various methods of vasectomy. This review begins with the history of sterilization, showing a direct link between its practice in man and animals. Then, it traces the evolution of concepts for inducing sterility, where research has overlapped with basic studies of reproductive hormones and the discovery of testicular toxicants, some of which serve as sterilizing agents in rodent pests. Finally, the most recent efforts to use the immune system and gene editing to block hormonal stimulation of testis function are discussed. As we respond to the crisis of animal overpopulation and strive for better animal welfare, these novel methods provide optimism for replacing surgical castration in some species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rex A. Hess
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
- Epivara, Inc, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Chan Jin Park
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
- Epivara, Inc, Champaign, IL, United States
| | | | | | - Ji-Eun Oh
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Mary Bunnell
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - CheMyong J. Ko
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
- Epivara, Inc, Champaign, IL, United States
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Coimbra JLP, Dantas GDPF, de Andrade LM, Brener MRG, Viana PIM, Lopes RA, O G Gontijo D, Ervilha LOG, Assis MQ, Barcelos LS, E Szawka R, Damasceno DC, Machado-Neves M, Mota AP, Costa GMJ. Gold nanoparticle intratesticular injections as a potential animal sterilization tool: Long-term reproductive and toxicological implications. Toxicology 2023; 492:153543. [PMID: 37150288 DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2023.153543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) animal sterilizing potential after intratesticular injections and long-term adverse reproductive and systemic effects. Adult male Wistar rats were divided into control and gold nanoparticle (AuNPs) groups. The rats received 200µL of saline or AuNPs solution (16µg/mL) on experimental days 1 and 7 (ED1 and ED7). After 150 days, the testicular blood flow was measured, and the rats were mated with females. After mating, male animals were euthanized for histological, cellular, and molecular evaluations. The female fertility indices and fetal development were also recorded. The results indicated increased blood flow in the testes of treated animals. Testes from treated rats had histological abnormalities, shorter seminiferous epithelia, and oxidative stress. Although the sperm concentration was lower in the AuNP-treated rats, there were no alterations in sperm morphology. Animals exposed to AuNPs had decreased male fertility indices, and their offspring had lighter and less efficient placentas. Additionally, the anogenital distance was longer in female fetuses. There were no changes in the histology of the kidney and liver, the lipid profile, and the serum levels of LH, testosterone, AST, ALT, ALP, albumin, and creatinine. The primary systemic effect was an increase in MDA levels in the liver and kidney, with only the liver experiencing an increase in CAT activity. In conclusion, AuNPs have a long-term impact on reproduction with very slight alterations in animal health. The development of reproductive biotechnologies that eliminate germ cells or treat local cancers can benefit from using AuNPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- John L P Coimbra
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Graziela de P F Dantas
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Lídia M de Andrade
- Laboratory of Nanomaterials, ICEX/UFMG, Nanobiomedical Research Group, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Marcos R G Brener
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Pedro I M Viana
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Roberta A Lopes
- Laboratory of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Daniele O G Gontijo
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Luiz O G Ervilha
- Laboratory of Animal Reproduction and Toxicology, Department of General Biology, Viçosa, MG, Brazil
| | - Mirian Q Assis
- Laboratory of Animal Reproduction and Toxicology, Department of General Biology, Viçosa, MG, Brazil
| | - Luciola S Barcelos
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Raphael E Szawka
- Laboratory of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Débora C Damasceno
- Laboratory of Experimental Research on Gynecology and Obstetrics, Postgraduate Course of Tocogynecology, Botucatu Medical School, Unesp
| | - Mariana Machado-Neves
- Laboratory of Animal Reproduction and Toxicology, Department of General Biology, Viçosa, MG, Brazil
| | - Ana P Mota
- Clinical Hematology Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Guilherme M J Costa
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
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Nguyen DV, Nguyen OC, Malau-Aduli AE. Main regulatory factors of marbling level in beef cattle. Vet Anim Sci 2021; 14:100219. [PMID: 34877434 PMCID: PMC8633366 DOI: 10.1016/j.vas.2021.100219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Revised: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The content of intramuscular fat (IMF), that determines marbling levels is considered as one of the vital factors influencing beef sensory quality including tenderness, juiciness, flavour and colour. The IMF formation in cattle commences around six months after conception, and continuously grows throughout the life of the animal. The accumulation of marbling is remarkably affected by genetic, sexual, nutritional and management factors. In this review, the adipogenesis and lipogenesis process regulated by various factors and genes during fetal and growing stages is briefly presented. We also discuss the findings of recent studies on the effects of breed, gene, heritability and gender on the marbling accumulation. Various research reported that feeding during pregnancy, concentrate to roughage ratios and the supplementation or restriction of vitamin A, C, and D are crucial nutritional factors affecting the formation and development of IMF. Castration and early weaning combined with high energy feeding are effective management strategies for improving the accumulation of IMF. Furthermore, age and weight at slaughter are also reviewed because they have significant effects on marbling levels. The combination of several factors could positively affect the improvement of the IMF deposition. Therefore, advanced strategies that simultaneously apply genetic, sexual, nutritional and management factors to achieve desired IMF content without detrimental impacts on feed efficiency in high-marbling beef production are essential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Don V. Nguyen
- National Institute of Animal Science, Bac Tu Liem, Hanoi 29909, Vietnam
- Faculty of Animal Science, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Gia Lam, Hanoi 131000, Vietnam
| | - Oanh C. Nguyen
- Faculty of Animal Science, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Gia Lam, Hanoi 131000, Vietnam
| | - Aduli E.O. Malau-Aduli
- Veterinary Sciences Discipline, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, Division of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
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Abou-Khalil NS, Ali MF, Ali MM, Ibrahim A. Surgical castration versus chemical castration in donkeys: response of stress, lipid profile and redox potential biomarkers. BMC Vet Res 2020; 16:310. [PMID: 32847551 PMCID: PMC7448993 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-020-02530-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Castration is a husbandry practice raising important questions on the welfare and physiological status of farm animals. Searching for effective castration methods that minimally compromise the body physiology is worthy of attention. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the differential response of biological systems in donkeys to surgical castration versus the chemical one by CaCl2 with special emphasis on stress, lipid profile, and oxidative stress biomarkers. Donkeys were divided randomly and equally into two groups; the chemical (Ch) and surgical (S) groups (n = 6). The Ch group was chemically castrated by intratesticular injection of 20% CaCl2 dissolved in absolute ethanol. Blood samples were collected prior to castration and at 15, 30, 45, and 60 days after the beginning of experiment. Results Surprisingly, the Ch group at the end of the experiment was characterized by significantly higher cortisol level compared to the S group. TC and LDL-C levels in the S group significantly decreased at day 45, while TG levels significantly increased at days 45 and 60 in comparison with day 0. HDL-C levels at days 30 and 60 in the Ch group significantly increased in comparison with day 0. At day 30 post-castration, HDL-C was significantly higher and LDL-C was significantly lower in the Ch group than the S group. A significant elevation in TC and LDL-C was observed at day 45 and in HDL-C at the end of experimental duration in the Ch group when compared with the S group. TPX level was significantly lower and TAC was significantly higher in the Ch group at day 45 than the S group. Conclusion Surgical castration evoked less stress and minor changes in lipid profile and oxidant/antioxidant balance relative to chemical castration by intratesticular 20% CaCl2 dissolved in absolute ethanol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasser S Abou-Khalil
- Department of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, 71526, Egypt
| | - Marwa F Ali
- Department of Veterinary Pathology and Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, 71526, Egypt
| | - Magda M Ali
- Department of Surgery, Anesthesiology and Radiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, 71526, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Ibrahim
- Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, 71526, Egypt.
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