title: Endocrine changes during early pregnancy in the alpaca.
abstract: Plasma concentrations of progesterone, 15-keto-13, 14-dihydroprostaglandin F2 alpha and oestradiol-17 beta were monitored during early pregnancy in five alpacas. Heparinized blood samples were obtained every 15 min during a 4 h period (0800 to 1200 h) from day 8 to day 13 postmating. Mean plasma concentrations of oestradiol-17 beta decreased close to the detection limit of the assay from day 8 until days 10-11, whereupon they increased again until day 13. A rapid decline in progesterone concentrations occurred after day 8 postmating. All progesterone values registered after day 10 were significantly lower than those registered on day 8. After day 9 postmating, prostaglandin metabolite peaks were detected in all animals, indicating a temporal relationship between the progesterone decline and PGF2 alpha pulsatile release. The number of peaks detected during the 4-h period, monitored on each of the 5 days (day 9 to day 13), ranged from two to four in different animals. The analysis of the prostaglandin secretory pattern in pregnant alpacas suggests that PGF2 alpha peaks might occur at a frequency similar to that observed in nonpregnant animals but with a lower magnitude.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Aba
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Bravo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Forsberg
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kindahl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002161:Camelids, New World / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D015237:Dinoprost / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: C008228:15-keto-13,14-dihydroprostaglandin F2alpha; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; D015237:Dinoprost