Evaluation of melatonin and bromocryptine administration in Spanish goats

Seasonal and Nutritional Fluctuations in the mRNA Levels of the Short Form of the Leptin Receptor (LRa) in the Hypothalamus and Anterior Pituitary in Resistin-Treated Sheep

Simple Summary

Research since the discovery of leptin has mainly focused on the long form of the leptin receptor. Currently, experiments on the short form of the leptin receptor have confirmed that not only is short form of leptin receptor present in the hypothalamus, but also expanded knowledge with information documenting the specific expression of that form of leptin receptor in selected areas of the hypothalamus and in the pituitary gland. In addition, we have shown that short form of leptin receptor expression levels are affected by day length, adiposity and resistin in sheep.

Abstract

The short form of the leptin receptor (LRa) plays a key role in the transport of leptin to the central nervous system (CNS). Here, the resistin (RSTN)-mediated expression of LRa in the preoptic area (POA), ventromedial and dorsomedial nuclei (VMH/DMH),arcuate nucleus (ARC) and the anterior pituitary gland (AP)was analyzed considering the photoperiodic (experiment 1) and nutritional status (experiment 2) of ewes. In experiment 1, 30 sheep were fed normally and received one injection of saline or two doses of RSTN one hour prior to euthanasia. RSTN increased LRa expression mainly in the ARC and AP during long days (LD) and only in the AP during short days (SD). In experiment 2, an altered diet for 5 months created lean or fat sheep. Twenty sheep were divided into four groups: the lean and fat groups were given saline, while the lean-R and fat-R groups received RSTN one hour prior to euthanasia. Changes in adiposity influenced the effect of RSTN on LRa mRNA transcript levels in the POA, ARC and AP and without detection of LRa in the VMH/DMH. Overall, both photoperiodic and nutritional signals influence the effects of RSTN on leptin transport to the CNS and are involved in the adaptive/pathological phenomenon of leptin resistance in sheep.

Higher doses of Melatonin affect ovarian and middle uterine arteries vascular blood flow and induce oestrus earlier in acyclic ewes

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of a single intramuscular injection of melatonin on response of oestrus, rate of conception, ovarian and uterine blood supply during the non-breeding season. Melatonin powder was dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and olive oil and injected in two dose of 25 mg (MEL-1; n = 10) and 50 mg (MEL-2; n = 10) in May. Ten ewes were served as the control (CON). Results showed that oestrous response was higher in the MEL-2 group than in other groups (p < .01). The time to onset of oestrus in both the MEL-1 and MEL-2 groups was significantly shorter, compared with the CON group (p < .01). Pregnancy rates reached 80% and 90% at 45 days of gestation. Doppler indices of the right and left ovarian artery were lower in the melatonin groups than in normal groups (p < .01). Both Doppler indices in uterine arteries were not different among two treatment groups (p > .05), but there was a significant difference when compared with the CON group (p < .01), no difference found between two treatment group in the Doppler velocities of middle uterine arteries (p > .05). In conclusion, the definite changes in the studied parameters showed two novel findings; (a) the increase in melatonin dose results in increasing the blood flow expressed by increased Doppler velocities in fatty tailed ewes, (b) as well as, melatonin can initiate the breeding season regardless of the season earlier by 1-2 months in ewes.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of reproductive management practices used to induce resumption of ovarian cyclical activity in anestrous does

Reproductive management practices that use hormones, sociosexual biostimulation, nutritional management, or abiotic factors are used to induce the resumption of reproduction in anestrous does. However, their overall efficacy remains uncertain; therefore, the identification of evidence-based management recommendations to manipulate anestrous in goats is important. Electronic databases were searched to retrieve reports on studies using interventions based on hormonal, sociosexual, nutritional, and abiotic factors. Only experimental studies in which a group of anestrous does was treated and compared against an untreated group were included. Estrus, ovulation, and pregnancy were primary outcomes, whereas the onset of estrus after treatment, the ovulation rate, and the number of anovulatory days were secondary outcomes. Odds ratio (OR) and mean differences were used to synthesize pooled data, and random effects models were used to calculate them. Seventy studies involving 3974 goats met the inclusion criteria. Unclear risk of bias for random sequence generation and allocation concealment predominated across studies. Pooled data for hormonal, sociosexual, and abiotic interventions showed a significant, though variable, increase in estrus (OR range 7.15-144.80), ovulation (OR range 6.08-56.95), and pregnancy (OR range 3.94-30.8). Hormonal treatments significantly reduced the onset of estrus, whereas abiotic interventions failed to reduce the number of anovulatory days. Secondary outcomes were not assessed in trials using sociosexual approaches. Finally, except for pregnancy, no significant efficacy was observed for studies using nutritional management. In conclusion, reproductive management practices using sociosexual approaches showed the highest efficacy for restoring reproductive activity in anestrous does.

Hormonal control of reproduction in small ruminants

Reproduction of small ruminants can be controlled by several methods developed in recent decades. Some of these involve administration of hormones that modify the physiological chain of events involved in the sexual cycle. Methods which utilise progesterone or its analogues are based on their effects in the luteal phase of the cycle, simulating the action of natural progesterone produced by the corpus luteum after ovulation, which is responsible for controlling LH secretion from the pituitary. Use of prostaglandins is an alternative method for controlling reproduction by eliminating the corpus luteum and inducing a subsequent follicular phase with ovulation. Finally, the discovery of the properties of melatonin in photoperiod-dependent breeding animals opened up a new methodology to control reproduction in these species, inducing changes in the perception of photoperiod and the annual pattern of reproduction. Use of hormones to induce oestrus has allowed increased use of artificial insemination in small ruminants, a very useful management tool, considering the difficulty of detecting oestrus in these species. At commercial level, synchronisation of oestrus allows control of lambing and kidding, with subsequent synchronisation of weaning of young animals for slaughter. Also, it allows more efficient use of labour and animal facilities. Multiple ovulation and embryo transfer programmes are also possible with the use of oestrus synchronisation and artificial insemination. Finally, hormonal treatments have also been used to induce puberty in ewe-lambs and doelings.

Pharmaceutical control of reproduction in sheep and goats

Small ruminant species such as sheep and goats are short-day breeders, which is a crucial factor affecting the offer of lambs and kids throughout the year. An appropriate management of reproduction allows ewes and does to breed in the spring to increase the supply of product to the marketplace on a year-round basis. Pharmaceutical control of reproduction is possible, usually through administration of hormones or analogues related to the natural estrous cycle, such as progesterone, prostaglandins, and/or melatonin.

Reproductive and Endocrine Characteristics of Delayed Pubertal Ewe-Lambs after Melatonin and l-Tyrosine Administration

The investigation was carried out to study the impact of melatonin and L-tyrosine administration on the onset of cyclicity in delayed pubertal ewe-lambs. Fifteen delayed pubertal ewe-lambs (age >16 months) were used in this study after being assigned randomly into three groups. In the first group (melatonin treated group, n = 5), each lamb was administered 3 mg melatonin orally at 16:00 hours from 1 July to 15 September while in the second group (L-tyrosine treated group, n = 5), each lamb was administered L-tyrosine at the level of 100 mg/kg b.w. as a single oral dose. The third group (n = 4) served as control. Lambs were exposed to mature, fertile rams daily and blood samples were collected twice weekly. The progesterone concentrations (P4 evaluations) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in treated groups than the control group. Ovarian activity, assessed by P4 evaluations, showed that all animals in the first group came in oestrus and from them four got pregnant (80%) while in the second group, only three lambs came in heat and from them two became pregnant (40%). On the contrary, none of the control lambs showed oestrus. In conclusion, this study confirmed that the oral administration of melatonin and L-tyrosine played an essentially physiological roles to induce cyclicity in delayed pubertal ewe-lambs and improved their reproduction.