Association among lipopolysaccharide, the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily, follicular growth, and transcription factors in spontaneous bovine ovarian cysts.

The aim of this study was to investigate some of the growth and transcriptional factors originating from oocytes and granulosa cells in follicular fluid and to identify the relationships between the basic blood metabolite-metabolic hormones and intrafollicular lipopolysaccharide (LPS) concentrations. Thirty cows included in the study were allocated into 2 groups comprising 15 cows with healthy preovulatory follicles (cyclic cows) and 15 cows with confirmed cystic follicles. The ovaries and uteri of all cows were assessed by transrectal ultrasonographic examination. Blood serum samples were collected at 15, 25, 35, 45, and 55 d after calving for analysis of nonesterified fatty acids, ß-hydroxybutyrate, insulin, glucose, IGF-I, ACTH, and cortisol. Ovaries and uteri were examined using transrectal ultrasound. Vaginal discharge was evaluated on the same days. Follicular fluid was also aspirated on days 35-55 from the healthy preovulatory follicles and cystic follicles using a transvaginal ovum pickup method. The densitometric levels of inhibin-α, growth and differentiation factor (GDF-9), bone morphogenetic protein (BMP-6), and GATA-4 and GATA-6 proteins were analyzed by the Western blotting technique; the concentrations of antimullerian hormone (AMH), IGF-I, estradiol-17 beta (E2), and progesterone (P4) were determined by ELISA; and the concentrations of LPS in the follicular fluid were measured by the Limulus amebocyte lysate test. The serum insulin, ACTH, and cortisol concentrations were higher in cystic cows than cyclic cows, but serum IGF-I concentrations were lower in cystic cows. The IGF-I concentrations of cystic follicular fluids were lower, whereas AMH levels were significantly greater than those of healthy preovulatory follicular fluids. The cystic follicles had significantly lower expression levels of GDF-9, BMP-6, GATA-4, and GATA-6; in contrast, inhibin-α expression and LPS concentrations were significantly higher than in healthy preovulatory follicles. The proportion of pathologic vaginal discharge within 25 d postpartum in cystic cows were higher than in the cyclic group. In conclusion, it is suggested that intrafollicular dysregulation of the transforming growth factor-ß superfamily, growth, and transcriptional factors is affected by high intrafollicular LPS concentrations and systemic metabolic changes and these disturbances may be responsible for the generation of ovarian cysts.

Mid-gestation pregnancy termination in rabbits by the progesterone antagonist aglepristone.

UNLABELLED: The efficacy of aglepristone treatment to induce abortion in does 15 and 16 days after mating was investigated. The pregnant does were randomly allocated into two groups: For group I, aglepristone was injected twice (10mg/kg, subcutaneously) on days 15 and 16 after mating (n=10); for group II the does got no treatment but the same volume of 0.9% sodium chloride solution was subcutaneously injected at the same days of pregnancy (n=5). RESULTS: group I, termination of pregnancy was successful in all does. The mean interval between the first administration of aglepristone and the beginning of vaginal discharge was 32.4+/-5.6h (range 19-72h). Complete expulsion of all fetuses was observed in four does with first occurrences of vaginal discharge on the same day. The duration between the first occurrence of vaginal discharge to expulsion of all fetuses ranged between 21 and 130h (mean 70.2+/-12.2h). As important side effects, decrease in food consumption during abortion time and irregular mating behaviour (52.3+/-2.0 days/range 46-63) were recorded. But after this time all does were mated again, 8/10 became pregnant and they whelped normal and live kittens. Group II, all does gave birth to live kittens after a mean pregnancy length of 31.2+/-0.37 days (range 30-32 days). The mean serum progesterone (P(4)) concentrations were significantly different between control and treated does after day 20 of pregnancy (P<0.05). The results indicate that aglepristone treatment is effective to induce abortion in does and causes no serious negative effects on further fertility except a short non-receptive period after abortion and short time decrease in food consumption.

[Accuracy of current rapid milk progesterone assays in comparison with a routine laboratory method]. / Die Anwendungseignung aktueller Milch-progesteron-Schnelltests für Rinder im Vergleich zu einer laborgebundenen Routinemethode.

Four current commercially available rapid milk progesterone assays (Cowside rapid tube kit [test No. 1], Hormonost-Schnelltest Milch [test No. 2], Hygia Diagnostic RPT Progesterone Test [test No. 3] and Target-Milch-Progesterone-Schnelltest [test No. 4]) for dairy cows were tested for their accuracy in comparison with the gynecological status on the one hand and by using an approved quantitative laboratory-bound assay on the other hand. Milk samples were taken from 23 dairy cows with behavioural oestrus. From 18 species with expected intermediate levels of progesterone milk probes were taken between day 3 and day 6 post insemination and also from 26 gravid cows. The clinically established gynecological status of the dairy cows correlated completely with their milk progesterone values investigated with the laboratory-bound EIA. In contrast the accuracy levels of the rapid progesterone kits differed. The accuracy of test No. 1 was 81% regarding all milk probes, whereas test No. 2 achieved 91%, test No. 3 73.5% and test No. 4 only 69.5%. Milk samples yielding low progesterone levels partly showed big differences. The highest rates of false semiquantitative classifications were recorded in milk samples with intermediate progesterone values. Test No. 2 was the only one with satisfactory results in this range. Milk samples yielding high progesterone values proved to be the best in all four assays.