Wang C, Yang C, Zeng Y, Zhang M. GnRH-immunocastration: an alternative method for male animal surgical castration.
Front Vet Sci 2023;
10:1248879. [PMID:
38026623 PMCID:
PMC10644813 DOI:
10.3389/fvets.2023.1248879]
[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: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Castration of male animals is intended to produce high-enhance quality of animal meat, prevent unpleasant taste, reduce aggressive behavior, and manage overbreeding. Over the years, Tranditional methods of mechanical and surgical castration have been employed over the years, but they fall short of meeting animal welfare requirements due to the associated risk of infection, pain, and stress. Immunocastration, specifically Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-immunocastration, targeting the hypothalamic-pituitary-testis (HPT) axis, has emerged as an animal-friendly alternative to surgical castration, effectively addressing these issues. This review seeks to systematically summarize the principles, development, current applications and challenges of GnRH-immunocastration, offering insights into its role in promoting animal welfare.
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