Agonist-induced release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone and their associations with basal secretion of luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone throughout lactation in sows.
Our working hypothesis was that the normal increase in basal secretion of LH and FSH during lactation in sows is paralleled by an increase in readily releasable pools of GnRH, LH, and FSH. Sows fitted with indwelling catheters and nursing 9-11 piglets were sampled on Days 1, 7, 14, and 21 (primiparous sows; n = 10; experiment 1) or Days 7 and 21 (multiparous sows; n = 10; experiment 2) of lactation. On each day, blood was collected at 10-min intervals for 2 h before one member of a pair of sows was infused (i.v.) with saline (n = 5) and the other with the neuroexcitatory amino acid N-methyl-DL-aspartic acid (NMA; 10 mg/kg b.w.) to measure readily releasable GnRH as estimated by LH release. Two hours later, each sow that had received saline was given GnRH (100 micrograms, i.v.) for estimation of releasable pools of pituitary LH and FSH. Responses to NMA and GnRH were estimated by area under the curve (ng.ml-1.min) of serum LH profiles for 1 h (NMA group) or 2 h (GnRH group) after treatment. Basal LH secretion in primiparous sows decreased from Day 1 to Day 7 and then returned to Day 1 values by Day 21. Similarly, in multiparous sows, basal LH was lower on Day 7 than on Day 21. Basal FSH secretion increased linearly as lactation progressed in primiparous and multiparous sows.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Department of Animal Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27695-7621.
L A
LA
Sesti
J H
JH
Britt
D000818:Animals; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology*; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D013552:Swine / Q000502:physiology*
D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone