title: A new approach to enhance reproductive performance in sheep using royal jelly in comparison with equine chorionic gonadotropin.
abstract: The objective was to compare the effects of royal jelly (RJ) and eCG treatments on reproductive performance of ewes synchronized using intravaginal progesterone-releasing devices. Forty-two cycling Awassi ewes were treated intramuscularly (i.m.) with 15 mg PGF2alpha. On the following day, all ewes were administered with CIDR-G for 12 days and were randomly allocated to three (RJ, eCG and control) groups of 14 ewes each. Ewes in the RJ-treated group received daily i.m. treatments of 400mg RJ during the period of CIDR-treatment. Each ewe in the eCG-treated group received an i.m. treatment of 500 IU eCG at the time of CIDR-G removal (day 0) and no further treatment was given to ewes in the control group. Ewes were exposed to four fertile rams for 72 h, from the time of CIDR-G removal, and checked for breeding marks at 6-h intervals. Blood samples were collected from day -13 until day 0 and thereafter until day 19 for progesterone analysis. Royal jelly treatment resulted in a greater rate of decline and lower (P<0.02) progesterone concentrations between days -10 and 0 than eCG-treated and control ewes. Expression of estrus was similar among the three groups and intervals to onset of estrus were shorter (P<0.01) in RJ-treated (31.3h) and eCG-treated (29.8h) than control (41.3h) ewes. First-cycle pregnancy and lambing rates were greater (P<0.05) in RJ-treated (71.4 and 71.4%) and eCG-treated (85.7 and 78.6%) than in control (42.9 and 35.7%) ewes, respectively. Results demonstrate that the treatments of RJ and eCG in conjunction with CIDR-G were similarly effective in induction of estrus and improvement of pregnancy and lambing rates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3030, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan. huseinmq@just.edu.jo
authors.forename: M Q
authors.initials: MQ
authors.lastname: Husein
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Haddad
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004973:Estrus Synchronization / Q000379:methods*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006064:Gonadotropins, Equine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular / Q000662:veterinary; D010060:Ovulation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D011897:Random Allocation; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D012756:Sheep / Q000502:physiology*; D000099219:Royal Jelly
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D006064:Gonadotropins, Equine; D011374:Progesterone; D000099219:Royal Jelly