Abstract
Abstract The response to administration of charcoal-extracted bovine follicular fluid on gonadotropin secretion, ovulation rate, and antibody formation in the cycling ewe was investigated. Twelve ewes were randomly assigned to three treatment groups of four ewes each, and received injections twice daily (10 ml, intradermal) from Day 1 to Day 11 (the first day of estrus, following synchronization, was designated Day 0) (with Freund's complete adjuvant on Days 3, 6 and 9). Group 1 received whole charcoal-extracted bovine follicular fluid (bFF), Group 2 received heat-inactivated charcoal-extracted bovine follicular fluid (IFF), and Group 3 received saline (SAL). Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) were assayed from serum on Days 1–17. Follicle stimulating hormone levels were significantly reduced from Day 2 to Day 12, as compared with controls, in both the bFF and IFF groups and, from the bFF-treated group only, a post-treatment rebound in FSH levels was observed between Days 13 and 14. While LH levels in bFF- and IFF-treated animals were significantly lower than in controls on Day 3, overall LH levels were not substantially affected by these treatments. Laparoscopies performed after Day 21 showed a trend toward increased ovulation rates for bFF-treated animals and significantly increased ovulation rates for IFF-treated animals as compared with controls. The presence of bFF-reactive antibodies was detected from both bFF- and IFF-treated animals using an immunodiffusion assay after Day 17, and again after the subsequent estrous cycle. To further investigate possible effects of endogenous antibody production on ovulation rate, immature female mice were given a single, 0.1 ml intraperitoneal injection of antiserum collected from bFF-treated ewes. This treatment resulted in significantly higher ovulation rates compared with controls given normal ovine serum. These results indicate that treatment of ewes with bFF initially suppresses FSH levels and results in a post-treatment rebound to higher than normal FSH levels. Moreover, these findings also indicate that whole bFF or bFF antisera (produced in the ewe), will increase ovulation rate. Under these conditions, the inhibin control on FSH secretion may have been relieved, thus resulting in an elevated ovulatory rate.
Published Version
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