The equine endometrium is the innermost lining of the uterus in horses, playing a vital role in reproductive health and fertility. It is responsible for providing a suitable environment for embryo development and implantation. The endometrium undergoes cyclical changes during the mare's estrous cycle, influenced by hormonal fluctuations. These changes prepare the uterus for potential pregnancy and are essential for maintaining uterine health. Various conditions, such as endometritis or endometrial fibrosis, can affect the endometrium, impacting reproductive efficiency. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the structure, function, and pathological conditions of the equine endometrium, as well as their implications for equine reproduction.
Donaldson WL, Zhang CH, Oriol JG, Antczak DF.Monoclonal antibodies and alloantisera were used in an indirect immunohistochemical assay to determine the expression of class I and class II Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) antigens by equine placental cells and the endometrial tissues at the fetal-maternal interface. MHC class I antigens were expressed at high density on the surface of the trophoblast cells of the chorionic girdle at days 32-36, just prior to their invasion of the endometrium. The mature gonadotrophin-secreting cells of the endometrial cups, which are derived from the chorionic girdle cells, had greatly reduced levels...
McCue PM, Hughes JP.Mares (n = 37) were treated on Days 2 and 4 post partum with a uterine lavage of 10 l of warm, sterile NaCl (0.9%) solution. Endometrial cytology and culture were performed on Day 7. Mares were bred on the first postpartum estrus by artificial insemination. Pregnancy rates were determined by ultrasound examination at Day 16 post ovulation. No differences were noted in degree of uterine inflammation or presence of uterine bacteria at Day 7 post partum between treated (n = 18) and control (n = 19) mares. Pregnancy rates at the first postpartum estrus for treated mares (55.5%) was not statistical...
Ginther OJ.Prolonged luteal activity is one of the most formidable terminology challenges in mare reproductive biology. Prolonged luteal activity can be a result of persistence of an individual corpus luteum or the sequential development of luteal glands, each of which may have a normal life span. Luteal tissue can originate from an unovulated follicle or from an ovulation occurring during either follicular or luteal dominance. These complexities, together with ambiguous and inconsistent terminology, have resulted in confusion regarding those conditions which can be grouped broadly under the term prolong...
Freeman KP, Roszel JF, Slusher SH, Castro M.Histochemical stains were applied to six equine uterine biopsies representative of the physiologic breeding season, Spring and Fall transition, and Winter anestrus periods. These were compared with uterine biopsies from six mares with intrauterine urine pooling, eight mares used to study the uterine response to indwelling catheterization, and necropsy specimens from four pregnant mares at approximately 60 or 100 d of gestation. Alcian blue staining at pH 2.5 or 1.0 was used to identify the presence of carboxylated and sulfated acid mucins or only suflated acid mucins, respectively. Periodic ac...
Love CC, Strzemienski PJ, Kenney RM.Serum concentration of ampicillin, a semisynthetic penicillin, was measured in mares at various time intervals up to 24 hours after intrauterine infusion of 3 g of ampicillin. Blood samples were drawn immediately before infusion and at 1-, 4-, 10- and 24-hour intervals after infusion. At postinfusion hour 24, two endometrial biopsy specimens were obtained to measure endometrial concentrations of ampicillin. Blood was drawn twice as part of the 24-hour postinfusion sample collection, once before removal of the biopsy specimens and again 5 minutes after removal of the biopsy specimens. After dru...
Watson ED, Sertich PL.Embryos, endometrial biopsies, and uterine lavage fluid were collected from pregnant and non-pregnant mares 14 days after ovulation. Embryos were cultured for 20.5 h with and without endometrial tissue from pregnant mares, and endometrial tissue was cultured alone. Endometrial content of PGF tended to be higher (P = 0.06) in non-pregnant than in pregnant mares, but the amount of PGF released from tissue during culture was similar for pregnant and non-pregnant mares. Lavage fluid from non-pregnant mares also tended (P = 0.08) to contain higher concentrations of PGF. Coincubation of embryos with...
Gilbert RO.Luteolysis with subsequent shortening of diestrus has been reported to follow equine endometrial biopsy performed early in the luteal phase of the estrous cycle, but a comprehensive study of the effect of endometrial biopsy on cycle length at different times of the cycle has not been reported. In this study, endometrial biopsies were obtained from four different pony mares on each of Days 0, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 after ovulation as determined by serial palpation per rectum. Compared with control cycles in the same mares, the ovulatory interval was shortened in mares from which biopsies were obta...
Watson ED.The ability of equine endometrium to release prostaglandin (PG) F, PGE2, and leukotriene (LT) B4 was studied in vitro, using endometrial tissue from diestrous mares. Because of the high cross-reactivity of the PGF antiserum with PGF1 alpha and with PGF2 alpha, results were quoted as total immunoreactive PGF. Significant concentrations of these arachidonate metabolites were released into tissue culture medium between 1 and 24 hours of incubation. Significantly higher concentrations of PGE, but not of PGE2 or LTB4, were released from endometria of mares with chronic endometritis than from genita...
Ley WB, Bowen JM, Sponenberg DP, Lessard PN.The effects upon equine endometrial histological features produced by 10 to 30% concentrations of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in sterile saline were compared with the effects of sterile saline (0.9% NaCl) alone as an intrauterine infusion therapy in 16 barren mares. No harmful histological changes were noted (P>0.05) as a result of the therapy. Thirty percent intrauterine DMSO therapy produced a significant (P0.05); however, there was a trend toward a higher pregnancy rate following DMSO therapy. The inability to control for sire variability in the breeding trials may have contributed toward ...
Prades M, Brown MP, Gronwall R, Houston AE.After single oral administration of ketoconazole (30 mg/kg bodyweight [bwt]) in 50 ml of corn syrup to a healthy mare, the drug was not detected in serum. Ketoconazole in 0.2 N HC1 was administered intragastrically to six healthy adult horses in five consecutive doses of 30 mg/kg bwt at 12 h intervals. Ketoconazole concentrations were measured in serum, synovial fluid, peritoneal fluid, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), urine and endometrium. Mean peak serum ketoconazole concentration was 3.76 micrograms/ml at 1.5 to 2 h after intragastric administration. Mean peak synovial concentration was 0.87 mic...
Waelchli RO, Winder NC.The distribution of histopathological lesions in the equine endometrium was examined to investigate the representativeness of a single biopsy specimen in terms of the whole endometrium. Five sections from each of 110 uteri obtained from slaughtered mares were evaluated microscopically and classified according to a four-category grading system used for endometrial biopsies. Depending on the extent of agreement between the categories of the homologous sections, the uteri were considered to show either good agreement (81 uteri; 73.6 per cent), moderate agreement (26 uteri; 23.6 per cent) or poor ...
Brown MP, Gronwall RR, Houston AE.Six healthy adult mares were each given an oral loading dose of ormetoprim(OMP)-sulfadimethoxine (SDM) at a dosage of 9.2 mg of OMP/kg and 45.8 mg of SDM/kg, followed by four maintenance doses of 4.6 mg of OMP/kg and 22.9 mg of SDM/kg, at 24 h intervals. Ormetoprim and SDM concentrations were measured in serum, synovial fluid, peritoneal fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, urine and endometrium. The highest mean serum OMP concentration was 0.92 micrograms/mL 0.5 h after the first dose; the highest mean SDM concentration was 80.9 micrograms/mL 8 h after the first dose. The highest mean synovial fluid c...
Antczak DF, Allen WR.There is little evidence for maternal immunological recognition of pregnancy in most species with the striking exception of the members of the genus Equus. Almost all mares make strong cytotoxic antibody responses to paternally inherited fetal antigens by Day 60 of gestation. Most of these responses are directed against antigens of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), which constitutes the primary immunogenetic barrier to successful organ transplantation. The source of fetal MHC antigens in the pregnant mare appears to be the specialized trophoblast cells of the chorionic girdle region ...
Sharp DC, McDowell KJ, Weithenauer J, Thatcher WW.Endometria from pregnant mares are able to produce PGF in vitro, but when co-incubated with conceptus membranes the amount and rate of PGF production is considerably reduced. To estimate the molecular weight of conceptus factors that inhibited PGF production, Day-14 conceptus membranes were placed inside bags constructed of dialysis tubing and co-incubated with endometria from Day-14 pregnant mares. PGF production was significantly reduced when membranes were in bags with molecular weight exclusion limits of 12,000, 6000, and 3500, but not of 1000, suggesting that conceptus PGF-inhibitory fact...
Watson ED, Stokes CR.Immunoglobulins A, G and M were localised by immunoperoxidase staining of endometrial sections from ovariectomised mares. Treatment with progesterone or oestradiol-17 beta did not significantly affect numbers of cells secreting any of the isotypes. Mares with persistent endometritis did not have significantly greater numbers of endometrial plasma cells than genitally-normal mares.
Watson ED, Stokes CR.The rate of clearance of 125I-labelled polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) from blood was measured in mares as an indicator of macrophage function. In three out of four cycling mares, PVP clearance was slower during oestrus than dioestrus. Similarly, administration of oestrogen to four ovariectomised mares tended to depress PVP clearance compared with clearance from the same mares before they received oestrogen. However, the effect of oestrogen was not statistically significant. Mares susceptible to persistent endometritis had rates of PVP clearance which were similar to those of genitally normal mare...
Frazer GS, Rossol TJ, Threlfall WR, Weisbrode SE.Endometrial fibrosis is a major cause of infertility in broodmares. Because of the proven anti-inflammatory effects of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and its influence on collagen, the effect of DMSO on the endometrium was investigated in mares. Solutions of DMSO (25%, 50%, or 75%) were infused into the uterus of clinically normal mares. Examination of serially obtained biopsy specimens revealed epithelial ulceration and stromal inflammation that were proportional to the DMSO concentration infused, but vasodilatation was not observed. In all mares, the endometrium had returned to normal by day 21 a...
Pycock JF, Allen WE.Streptococcal endometritis was induced experimentally in pony mares during oestrus. Uterine fluid was collected 30, 60, 120 or 240 minutes later and tested for its effect on the in vitro morphology and chemotaxis of equine neutrophils by two independent methods. The maximal response occurred between 30 and 60 minutes after infection and persisted until 240 minutes. The chemo-attractant contained both heat labile and heat stable components and the latter appeared to be active at low concentrations.
Roszel JF, Freeman KP.The simplicity of collection of material for cytologic preparations belies the complexity of smear interpretation beyond recognition of neutrophils. Knowledge concerning cancer cytology moves rapidly, for cancer is a progressive, often fatal disease so that tissue for comparison and confirmation of interpretation often becomes available. This is not true for cytologic study of the equine endometrium. Lesions detected by means of cytology smears may be transient and regress, offering little information concerning their etiology or consequences. They may be focal and missed in the corresponding ...
Van Camp SD.The endometrial biopsy is a safe and effective means of predicting a mare's prognosis for foaling. A thorough understanding of the normal cyclic and seasonal pattern displayed by the normal endometrium is necessary before interpreting pathologic changes. Several systems for prognostic classification have been proposed, including a recent one that combines many of the criteria used in the other systems.
Brown MP, Gronwall R, Castro L.Six healthy adult mares were each given a single IV injection of trimethoprim (TMP)-sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) at a dosage of 2.5 mg of TMP/kg of body weight and 12.5 mg of SMZ/kg. Serum concentrations of each drug were measured serially over a 24-hour period. For TMP, the mean overall elimination rate constant (K) was 0.43/hr and the elimination half-life (t1/2) was 1.9 hours. The apparent volume of distribution (at steady state) was 1.62 L/kg and TMP clearance was 886 ml/hr/kg. For SMZ, K was 0.22/hr and t1/2 was 3.53 hours. The apparent volume of distribution at steady state was 0.33 L/kg and S...
Watson ED, Stokes CR, Bourne FJ.Prostaglandins (PGs) F and E2 were measured in lavage fluid from the uterus of ovariectomised mares after experimental induction of uterine inflammation. Treatment with progesterone alone, or progesterone followed by oestradiol, significantly increased the concentrations of these PGs in the lavage compared with mares treated with oestradiol or control mares. Ovarian steroids, therefore, influenced uterine PG synthesis in response to an inflammatory stimulus. To determine whether the uterine lavage procedure might contribute to the concentrations of prostaglandins in the lavage, the procedure w...
Ball BA, Shin SJ, Patten VH, Garcia MC, Woods GL.Pony mares which were detected pregnant by transrectal ultrasonography received a single intrauterine infusion of either sterile saline (control, n = 12 mares) or 10(6)Candida parapsilosis (treated, n = 12 mares) between Days 11 to 14 postovulation. Subsequent embryonic loss was studied by daily ultrasonography of the mare's uterus, by serum progesterone levels, by endometrial swabs for cytologic and microbiologic examination and by endometrial biopsies that were taken after embryonic loss was detected. Significantly fewer (P<0.01) embryonic losses occurred in control than in treated mares (4 ...
Anderson GB.Investigations on the mechanisms that allow survival of the fetal allograft have been extended by pregnancies in which the fetus and pregnant female are from different species. Such interspecific pregnancies are useful models for the study of maternal/fetal interactions and also may assist in the preservation of endangered species. Results of experiments with three different interspecific model systems are discussed: a murine model using Mus musculus and M. caroli; an equine model involving primarily the domestic horse and donkey, but including several wild Equidae; and a bovid model that cros...
King SS, Evans JW.Follicular growth, circulating estradiol concentrations and endometrial prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) production were measured to determine whether there is an interrelationship among these factors associated with luteolysis. Follicular growth was monitored by rectal palpation every other day during diestrus in 16 mares. Plasma estradiol was determined for daily samples during all estrous cycles. Endometrial tissue was removed for PGF2 alpha analysis by radioimmunoassay on d 10, 12, 14 or 16 during several normal cycles and after d 30 during spontaneously prolonged cycles. Circulating es...
Katila T.Altogether 156 equine endometrial biopsies were carried out during the post partum (p.p.) period: immediately after parturition until 15 days after foaling. The histological changes are described. The rapid restoration of the equine endometrium is remarkable. The destruction of the luminal epithelium is minor and regeneration takes place rapidly. Remnants of the placenta, the microcotyledons and desquamated cells, have disappeared by 5 p.p. The transformation of glands from a pronounced secretory pattern to normal appearance also takes only 5 days. The occurrence of neutrophils and lymphocytes...
Waelchli RO, Winder NC.Endometrial biopsies were obtained from four mares during consecutive oestrous cycles on the first day of oestrus, on the day when ovulation was detected, and four and eight days after ovulation. Cycle stages were confirmed by means of rectal palpation, ultrasonography and plasma progesterone determination. Immunohistochemical evaluation of the formalin fixed biopsy specimens was performed using a peroxidase anti-peroxidase technique. Immunoglobulin (Ig)A-, IgM-, IgG(Fc)- and IgG(T)-containing cells were detected in all biopsies; with IgA- and IgG(Fc)-containing cells generally predominating. ...
Jacobs PH, Elsinghorst TA.Endometrial cups in horses are outgrowths appearing in the uterine wall of the pregnant horn between approximately 38 days and 150 of gestation. The cups are structures which vary in shape from oval to irregular and have distinct raised edges, showing an ulcer-like form. The maximum measurements are approximately 5 X 2.5 X 2.5 cm. Microscopic examination shows that they consist of large epithelioid decidual-like cells having large nucleoli. Pregnant Mare Endometrium Gonadotrophin (PMEG) is produced in the endometrial cups. PMEG may be regarded as a precursor of Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotrophi...
Waelchli RO, Winder NC.Endometrial biopsies were obtained from four mares during consecutive oestrous cycles on the first day of oestrus, on the day when ovulation was detected, and four and eight days after ovulation. Cycle stages were confirmed by means of rectal palpation, ultrasonography and plasma progesterone determination. Immunohistochemical evaluation of the formalin fixed biopsy specimens was performed using a peroxidase anti-peroxidase technique. Immunoglobulin (Ig)A-, IgM-, IgG(Fc)- and IgG(T)-containing cells were detected in all biopsies; with IgA- and IgG(Fc)-containing cells generally predominating. ...
Heilkenbrinker T, Kossin C, Scherbarth R, Frerking H.In this paper, fertility relevant parameters which are routinely examined in practice were evaluated on the basis of their correlation to one another and their influence on the foaling rates and incidence of early embryonic death in 175 brood mares of the Hanover breeding stock. The aim was to evaluate the suitability of these parameters for inclusion in a scheme for increasing the precision of predicting the subsequent course of pregnancy, as compared to such prognoses based exclusively on the histological evaluation of the endometrium. After establishing the breeding history and completing a...
Fraser NS, Johnson AK, Wilborn RR, Dujovne GA, Nuehring L.Chlorhexidine gluconate solution is a potent antimicrobial and therefore could be used effectively for treatment of endometritis, but historically this substance has been implicated as irritating to mucous membranes, including the endometrium of the mare. The use of chlorhexidine hydrochloride suspension (Nolvasan Suspension, Zoetis, Florham Park, NJ, USA) was evaluated in the uterus of normal mares to determine if adverse effects on endometrial health were noted. Twelve healthy, adult light breed mares were included in this study. Procedures were approved by the Auburn University Institutiona...
Loy RG, Hughes JP, Richards WP, Swan SM.The injection of 100 mg of progesterone/day from Days 5 to 14 after foaling blocked or delayed oestrus and ovulation in 6/9 mares; the remainder ovulated during treatment without showing oestrus. Urinary oestrogen concentrations in these mares were highest between Days 9 and 15 after foaling but the peak levels were only about half those seen in untreated mares during the post-partum oestrus and ovulation. The injection of 200 mg progesterone/day blocked oestrus and ovulation in two mares but did not depress oestrogen excretion maxima any further. Follicles prevented from developing beyond a c...
Hernández-Jáuregui , González-Angulo A.Electron microscopy and immunofluorescence techniques were used to study the various epithelial cells in the endometrial cups of ten pregnant mares, and in the uterine epithelium of one non-pregnant mare. Evidence was obtained which suggested that epithelial gland cells within the endometrial cups, as distinct from the hypertrophied decidual-like cells in the cup, may synthesize PMSG. The suggestion does not agree with the findings of other workers in the fetal origin (chorionic girdle cells) of this gonadotrophin.
Watson ED, Stokes CR.Immunoglobulins A, G and M were localised by immunoperoxidase staining of endometrial sections from ovariectomised mares. Treatment with progesterone or oestradiol-17 beta did not significantly affect numbers of cells secreting any of the isotypes. Mares with persistent endometritis did not have significantly greater numbers of endometrial plasma cells than genitally-normal mares.
Campbell MLH, Hampshire D, Hamstead LE, Rose BV, Smith KC, de Mestre AM.Intrauterine infusion of peanut oil at Day 10 post-ovulation has been reported to prolong dioestrus in mares. However, the effects of peanut oil treatment on the endometrium and whether the technique is painful have not been assessed. The objectives of this study were, (i) to determine the effect of intrauterine infusion of peanut oil on endometrial health, (ii) to determine whether use of intrauterine peanut oil is painful and (iii) to confirm that peanut oil causes prolonged dioestrus. Six mares aged 3-12 years old were used in a cross-over design with each mare administered both 1 ml of in...
King SS, Evans JW.Follicular growth, circulating estradiol concentrations and endometrial prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) production were measured to determine whether there is an interrelationship among these factors associated with luteolysis. Follicular growth was monitored by rectal palpation every other day during diestrus in 16 mares. Plasma estradiol was determined for daily samples during all estrous cycles. Endometrial tissue was removed for PGF2 alpha analysis by radioimmunoassay on d 10, 12, 14 or 16 during several normal cycles and after d 30 during spontaneously prolonged cycles. Circulating es...
Data in briefApril 25, 2020
Volume 30 105616 doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.105616
Nieto-Olmedo P, Gaitskell-Phillips G, Martín-Cano FE, Ortiz-Rodríguez JM, Peña FJ, Ortega-Ferrusola C.This article provides the dataset for the use of power Doppler ultrasound to assess the equine uterus from the recent research article titled "Power Doppler can detect the presence of 7-8 days conceptuses prior to flushing in an equine embryo transfer program"(1). The vascularization of the endometrium was objectively assessed in mares by quantification of pixels in bitmap format (BMP) using computer assisted analysis of images. Fifty-two mares were examined on days 7 (26 mares) and 8 (26 mares) post-ovulation prior to performing flushing procedures for embryo recovery. Receiver operating char...
Bartmann CP, Stief B, Schoon HA.Transendoscopic thermal preparation techniques like laser- or electrosurgery have proved to be most reliable for minimal invasive intrauterine surgery during operative hysteroscopy in mares. To determine the effect of Nd:YAG laser surgery on the endometrium and the complete uterine wall compared with electrosurgery, standard lesions were obtained by transendoscopic monopolar electrosurgery (loop electrode, cutting blade) and Nd:YAG laser surgery (contact, bare fibre, 25 Watt, exposure time four seconds, non contact, 80 Watt, exposure time four seconds) in five healthy mares on days d 0, 7, 14,...
Belz JP, Glatzel PS.Because of the mare's ability to conceive very soon post partum a thoroughly performed control of the puerperal period is of particular importance. Cytological examinations of uterine content and histological examinations of uterine biopsy specimens provide more detailed information than microbiological examinations of uterine swabs. Uterine content and uterus biopsy specimens of 55 mares were examined histologically on days 3, 6 and 9 post partum. We observed a heavy polymorphonuclear reaction of the endometrium following disturbed puerperal processes especially in cases of retained placenta....
Donato GG, Appino S, Bertero A, Poletto ML, Nebbia P, Robino P, Varello K, Bozzetta E, Vincenti L, Nervo T.Mares' subfertility represents a complex diagnostic and therapeutic challenge and both clinical and subclinical endometritis are considered major causes of impaired fertility. Thanks to its properties, ozone has a big potential as a treatment for equine endometritis. Therefore, the aim of this study is to describe the safety and the effects on endometrium and reproductive parameters of mares of a commercial ozone foam preparation (Riger Spray®). Twenty-four mares were treated during estrus: ozone group with an intrauterine instillation of ozone foam preparation (OG, n=16) and control group wi...
Moor RM, Allen WR, Hamilton DW.Biochemical and morphological studies were carried out to determine the origin and histogenesis of endometrial cups in mares. A wide range of fetal and maternal tissues were cultured in vitro and their ability to secrete gonadotrophin (PMSG) was monitored. High levels of PMSG were produced in culture only by cells from the restricted area of the equine trophoblast known as the chorionic girdle which is an annular band of highly specialized cells at the junction of the allantois and the regressing yolk sac. The morphological appearance of girdle cells after cultivation in vitro and after alloge...
Glatzel PS, Belz JP.Because of the mare's ability to conceive very soon post partum a thoroughly performed control of the puerperal period is of particular importance. In addition to cytological and histological examinations of the uterus, rectal palpation and vaginoscopic inspection as well as microbiological examinations of uterine swabs and the evaluation of the mare's hormonal status during the puerperal period provide useful information which can be used either prognostically or to initiate a specific therapy. 55 mares were examined on days 3, 6 and 9 post partum. Rectal palpation, vaginoscopic inspection, m...
Blue MG, Hannwacker MA.Persistent purulent endometritis in a mare was attributed to an unclassified species of Corynebacterium. Following intrauterine infusions of 20% betadine for 5 days the purulent vulval discharge ceased and the mare appeared clinically normal. Based on histological examination of endometrial biopsy samples, the severe acute inflammatory reaction had largely resolved 2 days after therapy. Three maiden mares considered resistant to bacterial endometritis received single intrauterine inoculations of 1.8 X 10(9) colony-forming units of the Corynebacterium species. The uterine response was followed ...
Silva ESM, Newcombe JR, Cuervo-Arango J.Oestrogens treatment is often used to induce oestrus behaviour in anoestrous mares to aid in the collection of stallion semen and as recipient mares to receive embryos when combined with progesterone. However, there are no studies to describe the effect of dose and individual mare on the intensity and duration of the response, in both anoestrous and cyclic mares. In Experiment 1, 13 anoestrous mares were treated with one of five doses of oestradiol benzoate (OB) (1, 1.5, 2, 3 and 4 mg) per mare in five consecutive treatment periods (n = 65), to determine the response in terms of endometrial oe...
Pedersoli WM, Fazeli MH, Haddad NS, Ravis WR, Carson RL.Endometrial tissue and blood serum gentamicin (GT) concentrations were determined in 6 ovariectomized pony mares given intrauterine infusions (50 ml of a 5% commercial aqueous solution of GT) each day for 5 consecutive days. The mares were subjected to the following 3 treatments: (1) GT infusion only (trial A, control); (2) progesterone plus GT (trial B, P + G); and (3) estradiol plus GT (trial C, E + G). Endometrial tissue concentrations of GT (micrograms/g) at 24 and 120 hours were significantly higher (P less than 0.05) in trials B (65.54 +/- 15.57 and 100.33 +/- 19.27) and C (73.33 +/- 22....
Długołęcka E, Tobolski D, Janowski T.Early embryonic death (EED) is one of the causes of infertility in the mare. We compared endometrial environment in 9 mares with EED and 13 mares in diestrus phase. Cotton swab (CS), cytobrush (CB) and uterine biopsy (B) samples were obtained for the cytological, bacteriological and histopathological examinations. In the first step we compared CS and CB methods to biopsy as a reference method, as B revealed the highest number of positive results in cytological and bacteriological examinations in both groups. In turn, we also compared cytological, bacteriological and histopathological findings ...
Tunón AM, Rodriguez-Martinez H, Haglund A, Albihn A, Magnusson U, Einarsson S.Cyclical accumulation of uterine fluid occurs during oestrus and is often seen in excessive volumes in mares considered susceptible to endometritis. Since the mechanisms behind the formation of free uterine fluid remain to be clarified, the fine structure of the secretory equine endometrium was studied in biopsies collect during videoendoscopy from 14 endometritis-free, 4-9-year-old mares during oestrus. A distinct oedema of the tunica mucosa was evident. The surface epithelium had both ciliated and nonciliated cells and, particularly at the uterine body, often presented intra-epithelial macro...
Blikslager AT, Tate LP, Weinstock D.Effects of neodymium:yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser irradiation on equine endometrium were evaluated in vitro and in six mares with endometrial cysts. The Nd:YAG laser was applied to six endometrial sites, in each of five uterine specimens, with power densities of 5659 to 33,954 J/cm2. Depth of tissue ablation was measured and graded on histologic sections of the tissue lesions. Power density had a significant effect on the depth of tissue ablation (p < .001). Grade 3 lesions (full-thickness ablation of the endometrium) were created with energy densities of 16,977 to 33,954 J/cm2. Six ...
Jacobs PH, Elsinghorst TA.Endometrial cups in horses are outgrowths appearing in the uterine wall of the pregnant horn between approximately 38 days and 150 of gestation. The cups are structures which vary in shape from oval to irregular and have distinct raised edges, showing an ulcer-like form. The maximum measurements are approximately 5 X 2.5 X 2.5 cm. Microscopic examination shows that they consist of large epithelioid decidual-like cells having large nucleoli. Pregnant Mare Endometrium Gonadotrophin (PMEG) is produced in the endometrial cups. PMEG may be regarded as a precursor of Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotrophi...
Cervantes CC, Brown MP, Gronwall R, Merritt K.Each of 5 healthy mares was given 5 consecutive IM injections of ceftiofur sodium (2 mg/kg of body weight; 50 mg/ml) at 12-hour intervals. Ceftiofur concentrations were measured serially in serum, synovial fluid, peritoneal fluid, and urine, and were measured in CSF and endometrial tissue after the fifth dose. Mean elimination rate constant was 0.354 +/- 0.101 h-1 and elimination half-life was 2.49 +/- 0.49 hour. Mean serum ceftiofur concentrations peaked approximately 1 hour after each injection. The highest mean ceftiofur concentration was 5.09 micrograms/ml at 1 hour after the fifth dose fo...
Sertich PL, Watson ED.Twelve mares were allowed to foal naturally, after which they were monitored to study uterine involution. Starting on day 3 after parturition, the internal genital tract was examined per rectum manually and ultrasonographically every other day for changes in uterine characteristics and ovarian activity. By day 5, gravid and nongravid uterine horns were similar in size, and by day 7, uterine fluid was absent. On day 7 after parturition, endometrial biopsy samples were obtained for histologic evaluation, and uterine swab specimens were obtained for microbiologic culture. Uterine swab specimens f...
Watson ED, Stokes CR.The rate of clearance of 125I-labelled polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) from blood was measured in mares as an indicator of macrophage function. In three out of four cycling mares, PVP clearance was slower during oestrus than dioestrus. Similarly, administration of oestrogen to four ovariectomised mares tended to depress PVP clearance compared with clearance from the same mares before they received oestrogen. However, the effect of oestrogen was not statistically significant. Mares susceptible to persistent endometritis had rates of PVP clearance which were similar to those of genitally normal mare...
Whyte A, Allen WR.Pre- and post-implantation endometrial tissue was removed from equids at known stages of pregnancy. Thin sections of this material were reacted with fluorescein conjugates of several lectins. Two lectins in particular, with specificities for L-fucose and N-acetylglucosamine, reacted strongly with the endometrial epithelium. The reaction for N-acetylglucosamine occurred in small patches on the endometrial epithelium and extended to cover the entire epithelial surface and endometrial glands after implantation. L-Fucose was observed in larger surface deposits particularly at the openings of endom...
Palm F, Walter I, Nowotny N, Budik S, Helmreich M, Aurich C.In most mammalian species, progestins have a major function in maintaining pregnancy. In humans, the physiologic initiation of parturition bears similarities with inflammatory processes and anti-inflammatory effects of progestins have been suggested to postpone birth until term. To examine if comparable effects exist in the horse, mares were treated with the synthetic progestin altrenogest from day 280 of gestation until parturition (N = 5) or were left untreated as controls (N = 7). Tissue from the amnion (AMN), allantochorion (AC), and endometrium (EM) was collected at foaling and mRNA expre...
Al-Bagdadi FK, Eilts BE, Richardson GF.Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to study the endometrium of nine 1-year-old thoroughbred mares after twice intrauterine infusions of gentamicin, on 2 consecutive days. Five mares were infused on 2 consecutive days with 40 ml gentamicin (50 mg/ml) mixed with 80 ml of normal saline. Four mares served as controls and were infused with 120 ml of saline on 2 consecutive days. Endometrial biopsies were obtained from all mares 3 days after the second intrauterine infusion. Each biopsy was processed for SEM by standard methods. The endometrial epithelium of the gentamicin-infused mares had...
Adams AR, Haines GR, Brown MP, Gronwall R, Merritt K.Pharmacokinetics of difloxacin and its distribution within the body fluids and endometrium of 6 mares were studied after intragastric (IG) administration of 5 individual doses. Difloxacin concentrations were serially measured in serum, urine, peritoneal fluid, synovial fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, and endometrium over 120 h. Bacterial susceptibility to difloxacin was determined for 174 equine pathogens over a 7-month period. Maximum serum concentration (Cmax) was 2.25 +/- 0.70 microg/mL at 3.12 +/- 2.63 h and Cmax after the 5th dose was 2.41 +/- 0.86 microg/mL at 97.86 +/- 1.45 h. The mean elim...
Ponthier J, de la Rebière G, Salciccia A, Deleuze S.In mares, endometrial cysts are associated with endometriosis and can cause maternal recognition failure or compromise and delay pregnancy diagnoses. Historical treatments were invasive and had adverse effects on the endometrium. Hysteroscopically guided laser therapy is easy and effective for endometrial cysts resection, with no deleterious effects for the endometrium. A 110 cm long and 1.0 cm wide endoscope is sterilely introduced in the uterus through the open cervix of an estrous mare after vulvar cleaning. The uterus is slowly infused with less than 1 L of physiologic solution and the las...
Kikuchi K, Kozai K, Hojo T, Sakatani M, Okuda K, Bai H, Kawahara M, Takahashi M.We investigated the electrical impedance of the reproductive tracts (vagina and uterine endometrial tissues) and the expression of mucus-related genes to identify the stage of the estrous cycle in mares. We first examined vaginal impedance in native Hokkaido mares during their estrous cycle and found no significant differences. However, impedance levels tended to decrease towards ovulation. Furthermore, we investigated the estrous cycle by measuring the electrical impedance of the uterine endometrial tissues obtained from carcasses of mares. We found that impedance levels in the endometrial ti...
