Monitoring ovarian cyclicity in postpartum Murrah buffalo through milk progesterone enzyme immunoassay.

Milk samples were collected from Murrah buffalo between Day 30 and Day 120 post partum and analysed for progesterone concentration to monitor ovarian cyclicity. Progesterone levels were low (1 to 5 ng/ml) during the anestrous period. Levels were also low around estrus, but they began to increase at Day 6 postestrus; high levels (15 to 32 ng/ml) were maintained for different periods. There was a marked drop in progesterone level after Day 16 to 18 of the estrous cycle in those animals which returned to estrus. Progesterone levels remained high in buffalo which did not return to estrus, indicating that these animals were pregnant. Some of the progesterone cycles were not associated with the expression of estrus. This study indicated that a milk progesterone enzymoimmunoassay can be used to detect early pregnancy as well as conditions such as silent estrus and anovulatory estrus; it can thus help reduce the long intercalving period in buffalo.

Plasma hormone changes in cows during induced or spontaneous calvings and the early post partum period.

Plasma progesterone, oestradiol, 13,14-dihydro, 15-keto, prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGFM) and luteinising hormone were measured in daily samples from eight dairy cows for 15 days before and after spontaneous calving, and compared to patterns obtained from 15 cows during and after induction of parturition with dexamethasone +/- prostaglandin. The average (+/- sd) length of pregnancy in the control cows was 285 +/- 3.04 days compared to 264 +/- 7.4 days in the induced group. Only nine cows required prostaglandin on day 11 after dexamethasone, which resulted in all nine calving 1.7 +/- 0.3 days later. Eight of the 15 treated cows retained the fetal membranes; however, the calving to first heat interval for all treated cows was 46.7 +/- 10 days (range 30 to 66 days) and calving to conception 52.4 +/- 17 days (range 30 to 85 days) compared to 42.1 +/- 15 days (range 28 to 64 days) and 76.5 +/- 24 days (range 54 to 115 days) respectively for the eight cows which calved without induction. The pre-partum hormone profiles were similar in all cows. Hormone profiles in the post partum period were also similar in all cows, irrespective of previous history. Baseline values for progesterone and oestradiol were not reached until 4.6 +/- 1.7 days and 2.75 +/- 0.7 days post partum respectively, whereas PGFM values increased for two or three days, reaching baseline levels 8.87 +/- 2.10 days later. Five cows had secondary peaks of PGFM on days 5,6 and 7. Luteinising hormone values increased steadily after calving in all cows.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Total lipids and phospholipids in buffalo semen (Bubalus bubalis).

Spermatozoal and seminal plasma concentrations of total lipids from 50 ejaculates and phospholipids and their fractions from 30 ejaculates were quantified in the semen of five Murrah buffalo bulls. Sperm lipid content ranged from 0.93 to 1.72 mg/10(9) cells with an overall average 1.32+/-0.03 mg/10(9) cells. Its concentration in seminal plasma varied from 1.39 to 2.22 mg/ml with overall average of 1.75+/-0.03 mg/ml. Spermatozoal total phospholipid content ranged from 0.44 to 0.94 mg/10(9) cells with overall mean being 0.64+/-0.02 mg/10(9) cells. The corresponding values for seminal plasma were 0.53 and 0.88 mg/ml with an overall mean of 0.69+/-0.02 mg/ml. Phosphatidyl choline constituted the major fraction both in the spermatozoa and and seminal plasma.

Serum prolactin levels of non-cycling murrah buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis ).

Prolactin levels were quantified by double antibody radio-immunoassay in the blood sampled daily for 24 days, from 9 non-cyclic Murrah buffaloes during hot months (ambient temp.41 to 43 degrees C). All buffaloes were kept in open loose housing. Three buffaloes were sprinkled with water for half an hour twice daily between 1200 and 1430 h to overcome partly the effect of heat during the period of investigation. Mean prolactin levels of 6 unsprinkled buffaloes ranged on different days from 249 to 739 ng/ml serum. The range of averages in case of 3 sprinkled animals was from 152 to 342 ng/ml serum. Buffaloes subjected to sprinkling had significantly (P / 0.01) lower prolactin levels than control buffalo.

Serum FSH levels during estrus and a 4-week period following mating in Murrah buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis ).

Circulating FSH levels of 13 Murrah buffaloes were investigated by a double-antibody radioimmunoassay using a homologous bovine system. The mean (+/- s.e.m.) peak FSH level on the day of estrus was if57.94 +/- 12.84 ng/ml of blood serum during hotter months (June-August) and 65.23+/-10.54 ng/ml during cooler months (October-December). These were much higher than the FSH concentrations recorded during the rest of the cycle post-mating. There were sizable fluctuations in FSH levels on different days of the estrous cycle within animals. However, the mean values did not exhibit much variation. The occurrence of the FSH peak and the LH peak coincided during the cycle.

Serum LH levels during pre- and post-puberty, pregnancy and lactation in Murrah buffaloes.

The concentration of luteinizing hormone (LH) was measured in the serum of pre- and post-pubertal Murrah buffaloes, in addition to during pregnancy and lactation. The mean values varied between 0.6 +/- 0.11 (S.E.) and 1.4 +/- 0.18 ng/ml, but the differences observed were not significant (P>0.05).

Serum LH concentrations in cyclic buffalo (Bubalus bubalis).

Circulating LH levels of 14 Murrah buffaloes were determined by a double-antibody radioimmunoassay using an homologous bovine system. At the onset of oestrus, the mean peak circulating LH level was 20.80 +/- 3.43 (s.e.m.) ng/ml in the hotter months (June-August) and 21.24 +/- 0.98 ng/ml during the cooler months (October-December), values remaining high for about 4 h. Basal levels throughout the rest of the cycle averaged 1-2 ng/ml. Conception occurred in 7 of the animals showing LH peaks (2/8 in June-August, 5/6 in October-December).