Half-Life of Plasma Progesterone in Turkey Layers and Non-Layers

Abstract

Large White turkey layers and non-layers were used in this study of progesterone half-life. The half-life was determined from regression of linear decrease in plasma progesterone after a single injection of unlabelled progesterone. Blood samples were collected every 10 min for a period of 2 hr after hormone injection. Radioimmunoassay was used to measure progesterone in all plasma samples.The half-life of plasma progesterone in layers (63.7 ± 3.3 min.) was significantly lower than in non-layers (91.8 ± 6.0 min.). Our results indicated that progesterone synthesis or release in turkey layers could have been much greater than non-layers. This would also suggest that the uptake of progesterone by receptors in target tissues could be much more in layers than non-layers.