title: Hormone-induced luteolysis on physiologically persisting corpora lutea in Eurasian and Iberian lynx (Lynx lynx and Lynx pardinus).
abstract: The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is the most critically endangered felid. A high reproductive success within the Iberian Lynx Conservation Breeding Program is crucial to maintaining the goal of reintroducing captive born offspring to the wild and thus increasing the population. Lynx follow a unique reproductive strategy with a monoestrous cycle and persisting CLs over many years. These persistent CLs constantly produce progesterone (on average 5 ng/mL) and are hypothesized to hinder a polyestrous cyclicity in lynx. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether artificial luteolysis can be achieved with common luteolytic drugs and if luteolysis would induce a second estrus naturally. We observed a functional regression of lynx CLs after artificial luteolysis with 2.5 μg/kg body weight PGF2α analogue (cloprostenol) administered three times every 16 hours. We could see a similar effect when combining cloprostenol with other drugs like an anti-gestagen (aglepristone) or a dopamin-agonist (prolactin-inhibitor, cabergolin) or by prolonging the cloprostenol administration to a total of 5 days. However, the sample size was too small to draw conclusions about which protocol is superior or if combining different drugs would result in a positive synergism. Neither structural regression of CLs nor subsequent spontaneous estrus induction was induced with any of these treatments. We suggest that a dose of 2.5 μg/kg body weight cloprostenol administered once daily over 3 to 5 days is sufficient for functional luteolysis in lynx. The next step would be to compare the success of estrus induction with or without the preceding artificial luteolysis.
authors: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: painer@izw-berlin.de.
authors: Johanna
authors: J
authors: Painer
authors: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Frank
authors: F
authors: Goeritz
authors: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Dehnhard
authors: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Thomas B
authors: TB
authors: Hildebrandt
authors: A.N. Severtsov-Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Moscow, Russia.
authors: Sergey V
authors: SV
authors: Naidenko
authors: Zoobotánico Jerez and Iberian Lynx Ex-situ Conservation Program, Jerez, Spain.
authors: Iñigo
authors: I
authors: Sánchez
authors: Zoobotánico Jerez and Iberian Lynx Ex-situ Conservation Program, Jerez, Spain.
authors: Miguel A
authors: MA
authors: Quevedo Muñoz
authors: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Katarina
authors: K
authors: Jewgenow
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003008:Cloprostenol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D003338:Corpus Luteum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004971:Estrus / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D003341:Luteolysis / Q000187:drug effects*; D008186:Luteolytic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D046008:Lynx / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D008186:Luteolytic Agents; D003008:Cloprostenol
keywords: Cloprostenol; Corpus luteum; Luteolysis; Lynx; Ovarian sonography; Prostanglandin