New treatments associated with timed artificial insemination in small ruminants
Alejo Menchaca A C and Edgardo Rubianes A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Laboratorio de Fisiología de la Reproducción, Facultad de Veterinaria, Lasplaces 1550, Montevideo, Uruguay.
B Departmento de Producción Animal y Pasturas, Facultad de Agronomía, Garzón 780, Montevideo, Uruguay.
C To whom correspondence should be addressed. email: alejomen@adinet.com.uy
Reproduction, Fertility and Development 16(4) 403-413 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD04037
Accepted: 23 March 2004 Published: 6 July 2004
Abstract
Timed artificial insemination (TAI) is a very important tool in production systems, as it has a direct impact on cost-efficiency by reducing labour resulting from oestrus detection. However, to make TAI commercially feasible, hormonal treatments need to assure acceptable pregnancy rates and be economically viable. Recent advances in the knowledge of ovarian physiology (e.g. determination of follicular waves, sensitivity of the early corpus luteum) in small ruminants allowed the development of new treatments focused on an efficient estimation and synchronisation of the time of ovulation of the females of a treated flock/herd. In this review we summarise new information and concepts in the hormonal control of the life span of the corpus luteum, as well as methods to manipulate follicular growth in small ruminants. Additionally, we elaborate on recent studies concerning the use of TAI associated with short progestogen treatment in goats and the newly developed Synchrovine™ protocol (two doses of prostaglandin F2α given seven days apart) in sheep.
Extra keywords: ewe, goat, oestrus synchronisation, prostaglandin, progesterone.
Acknowledgments
The authors are indebted to co-workers Jorge Gil, Julio Olivera, Victoria Miller, Virginia Salveraglio, Bettina Carbajal, Andrea Pinczak, Mariana Laca, and Rodolfo Ungerfeld and to collaborators Stephania Foricci and Maria Noel Correa; to Gianni Bianchi, Gustavo Garibotto and to all the staff of the Sheep Team of the Estación Experimental Mario Cassinoni (EEMAC, Paysandú) of the Facultad de Agronomia, likewise to Margarita Heinzen and Pablo Chilibroste; to Milton Pintos from Departamento de Fisiología and the staff working at EEMAC for animal handling; a special thanks to the farmers of Red Capra for their co-operation. Elize van Lier is specially recognised for the criticism and collaboration during the preparation of the manuscript. Professor Mats Forsberg and the staff of the Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden) are gratefully acknowledged for the hormone assays. Thanks are extended to Ignacio Videla (Syntex, Argentina) for MAP sponges; to Efrain Campos and Sergio Kmaid (Universal Laboratory, Uruguay) for the PGF2α analogue (Glandinex) and CIDR-G; to Jorge Amaro (Dispert, Uruguay) for the testosterone, used in the different experiments. Financial support was received from Programa de Desarrollo de Ciencias Básicas, Fondo Nacional de Investigadores and Comisión Sectorial de Investigación Científica (Universidad de la República).
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