Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T20:02:43.807Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Plasma profiles of progesterone and total oestrogens in buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) around parturition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

M. S. El-Belely ,
K. Zaki  and
E. Grunert
M. S. El-Belely
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery and Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
K. Zaki
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery and Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
E. Grunert
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery and Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Blood samples were collected three times weekly for 21 days before and after calving (day 0) from 29 buffalo cows and 22 buffalo heifers. Plasma concentrations of progesterone and total oestrogens were quantified by validated radioimmunoassays. Ovarian activity and uterine involution were monitored by rectal palpation at the sampling times and extended up to 60 days postpartum. The concentration of plasma progesterone in cows declined from 3·0 ± 0·2 ng/ml (mean ± S.E.) during days 21–17 before calving to 2·1 ± 0·1 ng/ml at day −3, followed by a rapid fall during the last 3 days of gestation, reaching 1·2 ± 0·3 ng/ml at the day of parturition. In heifers, plasma progesterone values increased slightly from 2·9 ± 0·2 ng/ml at days 21–19 before parturition to 3·4 ± 0·3 ng/ml by day −1 and then fell sharply to 2·1 ± 0·1 ng/ml at calving time. During the postpartum period, plasma progesterone decreased gradually and reached baseline values after day 15 postpartum, when the residual corpus luteum of pregnancy had completely regressed in all the animals studied. The plasma concentrations of total oestrogens started to increase at day −15 in cows and day −5 in heifers from below 40 pg/ml to 122·5 ± 51 pg/ml for cows and 100·7 ± 3·4 pg/ml for heifers by day −1. This was followed by a sharp increase to 251·2 ± 17·3 and 240·5 ± 10·1 pg/ml in these animals at the day of calving. Immediately after parturition, total oestrogens dropped abruptly to the lowest values and remained below 30 pg/ml in all cows and heifers until the end of the sampling period. We concluded that female foetuses significantly (P < 0·05) increased the maternal total oestrogens. Moreover, animals having postpartum disorders had significantly higher values for progesterone (P < 0·05) and lower values for total oestrogens (P < 0·01) than those having normal puerperal periods, but the magnitude of this difference varied in samplings between cows and heifers.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 111 , Issue 3 , December 1988 , pp. 519 - 524
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arije, G. R., Wiltbank, J. N. & Hopwood, M. L. (1974). Hormone levels in pre- and post-parturient beef cows. Journal of Animal Science 39, 338–347.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Batra, S. K., Pahwa, G. S. & Pandey, R. S. (1982). Hormonal milieu around parturition. Biology of Reproduction 27, 1055–1061.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Da Silva, A. E. (1979). Untersuchungen über den Gesamtöstrogen- und Progesteron-gehalt in Blutplasma bei Geburtstieren unter Beruckichtigung der Zervixöffnung. Inaugural-Dissertation, Hanover, West Germany.Google Scholar
Dobson, H. & Dean, P. D. G. (1974). Radioimmunoassay of oestrone, oestradiol-17α and -17β in bovine plasma during the oestrous cycle and last stages of pregnancy. Journal of Endocrinology 61, 479–486.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Edqvist, L. E., Kindahl, H. & Stabenfeldt, G. (1978). Release of prostaglandins F2α during the bovine peripartal period. Prostaglandins 16, 111–119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eissa, H. M., Serur, B. H. & Grunert, E. (1987). Effect of sex of the foetus on steroid hormone levels during pregnancy in cattle. Journal of Egyptian Veterinary Medical Association 47, 279–289.Google Scholar
El-Azab, E. A., Mansour, H., Heshmat, H. & Shawki, G. (1984). The postpartum period and the future fertility of the Egyptian buffalo cows. Proceedings of the 10th International Congress on Animal Reproduction and A. I., Urbana Champaign, pp. 424.Google Scholar
Elecko, J., Kacmarik, J., Halagan, J. & Sevcik, L. (1984). Progesterone and free oestradiol-17β levels in cows at physiological parturition and at parturition with retained placenta. Folia Veterinaria 26, 29–37.Google Scholar
Erb, R. E., Chew, B. P., Malven, P. V., Stewart, T. S. & D'Amico, M. F. (1982). Variables associated with peripartum traits in dairy cows. IX. Relationship of season and other factors to blood plasma concentrations of progesterone and the oestrogens. Journal of Animal Science 54, 302–308.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Etherington, W. G., Martin, S. W., Dohoo, I. R. & Bosu, W. T. K. (1985). Interrelationships between postpartum events, hormonal therapy, reproductive abnormalities and reproductive performance in dairy cows: a path analysis. Canadian Journal of Comparative Medicine 49, 261–267.Google ScholarPubMed
Gauthier, D., Terqui, M. & Mauleon, , (1983). Influence of nutrition on prepartum plasma levels of progesterone and total oestrogens and postpartum plasma levels of LH and FSH in suckling cows. Animal Production 37, 89–96.Google Scholar
Gracia, L., Fernandez, O., Faure, R. & Ribot, A. (1986). Plasma concentrations of total oestrogens and prolactin in Holstein-Friesian cows during the last third of gestation. Revista de Salud Animal 8, 99–103.Google Scholar
Guilbault, L. A. (1985). Conceptus-related changes of the endocrine and physiological dynamics during the periparturient period in cattle. Dissertation Abstracts International 45, 2827-B.Google Scholar
Heshmat, H. A., Backry, H. H., Yousef, A. A. & Abdella, M. A. (1985). Some biochemical and physiological observations around parturition in Egyptian buffaloes. Beiträge zur Tropischen Landwirtschaft und Veterinärmedizin 23, 425–428.Google Scholar
Jainudeen, M. R., Bangso, T. A. & Tan, H. S. (1983). Postpartum ovarian activity and uterine involution in the suckled Swamp Buffaloes. Animal Reproduction Science 5, 181–190.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kim, S. K. (1986). Changes in serum sex hormone concentrations during the periparturient period and weaning in Korean native cows. Korean Journal of Dairy Science 8, 16–24.Google Scholar
Linneweber, F. (1981). Untersuchungen über die Wirksamkeit des GnRH-Analogous Buserlin bei der Behandlung der Övardystrophie des Rindes. Inaugural-Dissertation, Hanover, West Germany.Google Scholar
Madan, M. L., Singh, M., Prakash, B. S., Nagvi, S. M. K. & Roy, A. K. (1984). Postpartum endocrinology of the buffaloes. Proceedings of the 10th International Congress on Animal Reproduction and A.I., Urbana Champaign, pp. 402.Google Scholar
Nezhdanov, A. G. (1983). Steroid hormones in the blood and post-parturient disorders in cows. Veterinariya, Moscow, U.S.S.R. 5, 49–51.Google Scholar
Pahwa, G. S. & Pandey, R. S. (1983). Hormonal changes in postpartum blood plasma and milk of buffaloes. Animal Production 37, 237–246.Google Scholar
Perera, B. A. M. O., Abeygunawardena, H., Thamotharam, A., Kindahl, H. & Edqvist, L. E. (1981). Peripartal changes of oestrone, progesterone and prostaglandin in the water buffalo. Theriogenology 15, 463–467.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Peters, A. R. & Lamming, E. G. (1986). Regulation of ovarian function in the postpartum cows: an endocrine model. Veterinary Record 118, 236–239.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pimentel, C. A., Vijayakumar, R., Weston, P. G., Pimentel, S. M., Wagner, W. C. & Hixon, J. E. (1986). Effect of oestrone infusion on secretion of F series prostaglandins and on function of corpus luteum during late gestation in cattle. American Journal of Veterinary Research 47, 1972–1977.Google ScholarPubMed
Prakash, B. S. & Madan, M. L. (1986). Peripheral plasma oestradiol-17β, progesterone and cortisol in buffaloes induced to calve with dexamethasone and vetoestrol. Animal Reproduction Science 11, 111–122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rawlings, N. C., Weir, L., Todd, B., Manns, J. & Hyland, J. H. (1980). Some endocrine changes associated with the postpartum period of the suckling beef cows. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 60, 301–308.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robertson, N. A. & King, G. J. (1979). Conjugated and unconjugated oestrogens in foetal and maternal fluids of the cow throughout pregnancy. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 55, 463–470.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Samburov, H. V. (1985). Progesterone and oestradiol concentrations in the plasma of cows with retained placenta. Nauchno-Instituta Fizioiogii Biokhimii, U.S.S.R. 77, 43–45.Google Scholar
Spicer, L. J., Convey, E. M., Leung, K., Short, R. E. & Tucker, H. A. (1986). Anovulation in postpartum suckled beef cows. I. Association among size and numbers of ovarian follicles, uterine involution, and hormones in serum and follicular fluid. Journal of Animal Science 62, 734–741.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stevenson, J. S. & Britt, J. M. (1979). Relationship among luteinizing hormone, oestradiol, progesterone, glucocorticoids, milk yield, body weight and postpartum ovarian activity in Holstein cows. Journal of Animal Science 48, 570–577.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vlasov, S. A. (1985). Oestrogens in the blood of cows during pregnancy and at calving. Veterinariya, Moscow, U.S.S.R. 3, 45–47.Google Scholar
Webb, R., Lamming, G. E., Haynes, N. B. & Foxcroft, G. R. (1980). Plasma progesterone and gonadotrophin concentrations and ovarian activity in postpartum dairy cows. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 59, 133–143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, W. F. & Gross, T. S. (1986). In vitro placental steroid synthesis in the late pregnant and peripartum cows. Biology of Reproduction 34 (Suppl. 1), 77.Google Scholar