cattle-pregnancy; late pregnancy; parturition; endocrine; foetal well being
Abstract :
[en] Three dairy heifers (A, B and C) were induced to parturition with two prostaglandin (PG) F-2alpha injections on day 268 and 269 of pregnancy. Signs of approaching parturition were carefully observed. The following parameters were registered: degrees of calving difficulty, date and time of parturition, calf's birth weight and calf's sex. Body temperature was measured and blood samples were taken every 3 h 3 days before the first PGF(2alpha) injection until 3 days after parturition. The plasma concentrations of the PGF2a metabolite, progesterone, cortisol, oestrone sulphate and pregnancy associated glycoproteins (PAGs) were analysed. Heifers A, B and C delivered 48, 51 and 57 h after the first PGF(2alpha) injection, respectively. Heifer A delivered without any signs of calving difficulty, whereas, the parturition was considered to be slight and moderate difficulty occurred in the delivery of heifers B and C, respectively. The calf of heifer C, without any abnormal gross-evidences, was stillborn. All animals had retained foetal membranes. A slight increase of the PGF(2alpha) metabolite at the time of parturition was found only in heifer C, whereas the levels dramatically increased in all animals 15-24 h after parturition. At the same time, progesterone levels decreased within 3 h after the first PGF(2alpha) injection (P < 0.05) and reached 0.8, 2.7 and 12.4 nmol/l at the time of parturition in heifers A, B and C, respectively. High release of cortisol at the time of parturition was seen in heifer C. Rising levels of oestrone sulphate around the time of parturition were recorded in all heifers, whereas, increasing levels of PAGs were recorded only in heifer A. In conclusion, the patterns of the PGF(2alpha) metabolite, cortisol, progesterone and PAGs were changed in the cases of calving difficulty and stillbirth after PGF(2alpha)-induction of parturition. However, the relationship between oestrone sulphate and PAGs and the status of foetal well being prior to parturition require further elucidation. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Disciplines :
Veterinary medicine & animal health
Author, co-author :
Kornmatitsuk, B.
Veronesi, M. C.
Madej, A.
Dahl, Ellen
Ropstad, E.
Beckers, Jean-François ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de sciences fonctionnelles > Physiologie de la reproduction
Forsberg, M.
Gustafsson, H.
Kindahl, Hans
Language :
English
Title :
Hormonal measurements in late pregnancy and parturition in dairy cows - possible tools to monitor foetal well being
Abdo G.A., Njuguna O.M., Fredriksson G., Madej A. (1991) Levels of oestrone sulphate during pregnancy in different breeds of cows and its possible association with retained foetal membranes. Acta Vet. Scand. 32:183-188.
Beckers J.F., Zarrouk A., Batalha E.S., Garbayo J.M., Mester L., Szenci O. (1998) Endocrinology of pregnancy: Chorionic somatomammotropins and pregnancy-associated glycoproteins. Acta Vet. Hung. 46:175-189.
Beckers J.F., Drion P.V., Garbayo J.M., Perenyi Z., Zarrouk A., Sulon J., Remy B., Szenci O. (1999) Pregnancy associated glycoproteins in ruminants: Inactive members of the aspartic proteinase family. Acta Vet. Hung. 47:461-469.
Berger P.J., Cubas A.C., Koehler K.J., Healey M.H. (1992) Factors affecting dystocia and early calf mortality in Angus cows and heifers. J. Anim. Sci. 70:1775-1786.
Birgel E.H., Grunert E., Soares J.A.G. (1994) The preliminary stage of labor in cattle in relation to the clinical signs of labor and the course of progesterone secretion for the prediction of the calving time. Dtsch. Tierarztl. Wochenschr. 101:355-359.
Björkman C., Holmdahl O.J.M., Uggla A. (1997) An indirect enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) for demonstration of antibodies to Neospora caninum in serum and milk of cattle. Vet. Parasitol. 68:251-260.
Chassagne M., Barnouin J., Chacornac J.P. (1999) Risk factors for stillbirth in Holstein heifers under field conditions in France: A prospective survey. Theriogenology 51:1477-1488.
Dobson H., Rowan T.G., Kippax I.S., Humblot P. (1993) Assessment of fetal number, and fetal and placental viability throughout pregnancy in cattle. Theriogenology 40:411-425.
Dosogne H., Burvenich C., Freeman A.E., Kehrli M.E. Jr., Detilleux J.C., Sulon J., Beckers J.F., Hoeben D. (1999) Pregnancy-associated glycoprotein and decreased polymorphonuclear leukocyte function in early postpartum dairy cows. Vet. Immunol. Immunopathol. 67:47-54.
Echternkamp S.E. (1993) Relationship between placental development and calf birth weight in beef cattle. Anim. Reprod. Sci. 32:1-13.
Edqvist L.-E., Kindahl H., Stabenfeldt G. (1978) Release of prostaglandin F2α during the bovine peripartal period. Prostaglandins 16:111-119.
Eissa H.M., El-belely M.S. (1990) Sequential changes in plasma progesterone, total oestrogens and corticosteroids in the cow throughout pregnancy and around parturition. Br. Vet. J. 146:24-29.
Granström E., Kindahl H. (1982) Radioimmunoassay of the major plasma metabolite of PGF2α, 15-keto-13,14-dihydro-PGF2α. Meth. Enzymol. 86:320-339.
Granström E., Kindahl H. (1982) Species differences in circulating prostaglandin metabolites relevance for the assay of prostaglandin release. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 713:555-569.
Hudson S., Mulliford M., Whittlestone W.G., Payne E.P. (1975) Bovine plasma corticoids during parturition. J. Dairy Sci. 59:744-746.
Humblot F., Camous S., Martal J., Charlery J., Jeanguyot N., Thibier M., Sasser R.G. (1988) Pregnancy-specific protein B, progesterone concentrations and embryonic mortality during early pregnancy in dairy cows. J. Reprod. Fertil. 83:215-223.
Juntti N., Larsson B., Fossum C. (1987) The use of monoclonal antibodies in enzyme linked immunosorbent assays for detection of antibodies to Bovine Viral Diarrhoea virus. J. Vet. Med. B 34:356-363.
Kirakofe G.H., Wright J.M., Schalles R.R., Ruder C.A., Parish S., Sasser R.G. (1993) Pregnancy-specific protein B in serum of postpartum beef cows. J. Anim. Sci. 71:2199-2205.
Kornmatitsuk B., Königsson K., Kindahl H., Gustafsson H., Forsberg M., Madej A. (2000) Clinical signs and hormonal changes in dairy heifers after induction of parturition with PGF2α. J. Vet. Med. A 47:395-409.
Lammoglia M.A., Bellows R.A., Short R.E., Bellows S.E., Bighorn E.G., Stevenson J.S., Randel R.D. (1997) Body temperature and endocrine interaction before and after calving in beef cows. J. Anim. Sci. 75:2526-2534.
Magnusson U., Holst H., Kindahl H., Karlsson Å. (1994) Effect of mimicking prepartum concentration of estradiol-17β on the inflammatory response to endotoxin in gilts. Am. J. Vet. Res. 55:785-789.
Mwanza A.M., Madej A., Kindahl H., Lundeheim N., Einarsson S. (2000) Plasma levels of cortisol, progesterone, oestradiol-17β and prostaglandin F2α metabolite after ACTH (Synacthen® Depot) administration in ovariectomized gilts. J. Vet. Med. A 47:193-200.
Odensvik K., Magnusson U. (1996) Effect of oral administration of flunixin meglumine on the inflammatory response to endotoxin in heifers. Am. J. Vet. Res. 57:201-204.
Ogata Y., Nakao T., Takahashi K., Abe H., Misawa T., Urushiyama Y., Sakai J. (1999) Intrauterine growth retardation as a cause of perinatal mortality in Japanese black beef calves. J. Vet. Med. A 46:327-334.
Patel O.V., Takahashi T., Takenouchi N., Hirako M., Sasaki N., Domeki I. (1996) Peripheral cortisol levels throughout gestation in the cow: Effect of stage of gestation and foetal number. Br. Vet. J. 152:425-432.
Patel O.V., Sulon J., Beckers J.F., Takahashi T., Hirako M., Sasaki N., Domeki I. (1997) Plasma bovine pregnancy-associated glycoprotein concentrations throughout gestation in relationship to fetal number in the cow. Eur. J. Endocrinol. 137:423-428.
Philipsson J. (1976) Studies on calving difficulty, stillbirth and associated factors in Swedish cattle breeds. Acta Agric. Scand. 26:151-164.
Rexha S., Grunert E., Saratsis P. (1993) Relationships between the steroid-hormone profiles and prodromal external signs of calving. Tierärztl. Umschau. 48:431-436.
Ruder C.A., Sasser R.G. (1986) Source of bovine pregnancy specific protein B (bPSPB) during the postpartum period and estimation of half-life of bPSPB. J. Anim. Sci. , Abstract 660; 69(SUPPL.).
Spörndly R. Fodertabellar för idisslare (Nutrition requirement for ruminants), Speciella skrifter 52; 1993.
Thatcher W.W., Wilcox C.J., Collier R.J., Eley D.S., Head H.H. (1980) Bovine conceptus-maternal interactions during the pre- and postpartum periods. J. Dairy Sci. 63:1530-1540.
Thompson J.R., Rege J.E. (1984) Influences of dam on calving difficulty and early calf mortality. J. Dairy Sci. 67:847-853.
Tsuma V.T., Einarsson S., Madej A., Kindahl H., Lundeheim N. (1996) Effect of food deprivation during early pregnancy on endocrine changes in primiparous sows. Anim. Reprod. Sci. 41:267-278.
Zhang W.C., Nakao T., Moriyoshi M., Nakada K., Ribadu A.Y., Ohtaki T., Tanaka Y. (1999) Relationship of maternal plasma progesterone and estrone sulfate to dystocia in Holstein-Friesian heifers and cows. J. Vet. Med. Sci. 61:909-913.
Zoli A.P., Guilbault L.A., Delahaut P., Ortiz W.B., Beckers J.F. (1992) Radioimmunoassay of a bovine pregnancy-associated glycoprotein in serum: Its application for pregnancy diagnosis. Biol. Reprod. 46:83-92.