title: Pregnancy-associated glycoprotein concentrations during pregnancy and the postpartum period in Azawak Zebu cattle.
abstract: Specific RIA systems were developed and used to measure pregnancy-associated glycoprotein (PAG) concentrations during gestation and the postpartum period in Azawak Zebu cows. Twelve females were palpated per rectum and diagnosed as pregnant. Blood samples were taken at 5-10-day intervals from approximately Week 8 of gestation until Week 10 postpartum (pp). One Zebu cow (Z15) initially diagnosed as pregnant showed PAG concentrations lower than the assay sensitivity (<0.20 ng/ml) and did not calve. Another cow (ZSand) showed abnormally high PAG concentrations during gestation and was excluded from the general PAG profile. The 10 other Zebu cows exhibited a very similar PAG profile. In these animals, concentrations increased progressively from Week 8 to 35 of gestation (from 6.0+/-4.2 to 196.0+/-34.8 ng/ml), remaining relatively constant until Week 39 (210.8+/-74.8 ng/ml), when they increased sharply to reach their highest level (1095.6+/-607.2 ng/ml) at around parturition. After delivery, PAG concentrations declined significantly (P<0.05) until Week 2 postpartum (348.4+/-85.6 ng/ml) and slowly until Week 10 postpartum. Our results revealed that the PAG pattern in Zebu cattle was similar to those of taurine breeds during the first two trimesters of pregnancy, but differed in the peripartum period.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria 97105-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Noelita Melo
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: de Sousa
authors.forename: Moussa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zongo
authors.forename: Were
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pitala
authors.forename: Hamidou
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Boly
authors.forename: Laya
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sawadogo
authors.forename: Mahorobi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sanon
authors.forename: Jose Ricardo
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: de Figueiredo
authors.forename: Paulo Bayard Dias
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.forename: Bouchra
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: El Amiri
authors.forename: Zsolt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Perènyi
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Beckers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / Q000097:blood*; D002417:Cattle / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000097:blood*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases; C094766:pregnancy-associated glycoprotein 1; C095584:pregnancy-associated glycoprotein 2