Age related and seasonal changes of plasma concentrations of insulin-like peptide 3 and testosterone from birth to early-puberty in Thoroughbred male horses.
Abstract: The peripheral blood concentrations of insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3) have been detected in many mammalian species, but the level of INSL3 in horse remains unknown. The objectives were to develop a time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay (TRFIA) to detect INSL3 concentrations from horse blood as well as to determine the age-related and seasonal changes of plasma concentrations of INSL3 and testosterone from birth to early-puberty in Thoroughbred male horse (n = 11). Monthly blood sample and measurement of body weight, height, chest and cannon bone size were done from birth until 16 mo. The TRFIA and EIA were used to measure plasma concentrations of INSL3 and testosterone, respectively. An increase in mean body weight, height, chest and cannon bone size was observed throughout the study. The monthly blood sampling revealed an increase in mean plasma INSL3 concentrations up to 2 mo, followed by a decreasing and increasing pattern until the end of experiment at 16 mo. A high testosterone level was detected at birth followed by a sharp decrease to basal level within 1 mo, maintained low level up to10 mo before a gradual rise until 16 mo. In case of seasonality, there was no difference in mean plasma INSL3 concentrations between breeding (March to September) and non-breeding (October to February) seasons, whereas a higher (P < 0.001) mean plasma testosterone concentrations in the second breeding season compared to non-breeding season was observed. In age categorized group, an increase (P < 0.01) in mean plasma INSL3 concentrations was noticed at pre-puberty (1-12 mo) and early-puberty (13-16 mo) compared to birth, but a lower (P < 0.001) mean plasma testosterone concentrations was observed at pre-puberty compared to birth and early-puberty. In conclusion, a TRFIA was developed to measure INSL3 levels in horse. An increase in plasma concentrations of INSL3 and testosterone were observed with the advancement of age, whereas for testosterone a very lower level was detected at the non-breeding season than in the second breeding season after birth in Thoroughbred male horse. The INSL3 secretions seemed independent of seasonal influence, at least before puberty.
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2019-04-16 PubMed ID: 31029851DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2019.04.014Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research focuses on identifying the age-related and seasonal changes in the blood concentrations of the insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3) and testosterone hormones in pre-puberty teenage male horses. This was achieved through the development of a new assay technology, investigating the variations in the plasma concentrations of these hormones from birth to early puberty.
Developing a New Measurement Technology
- The primary goal of the researchers was to establish a new Time-Resolved Fluorescence Immunoassay (TRFIA), alongside Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA), selectively for detecting INSL3 and testosterone concentrations from horse blood. The selection of Thoroughbred male horses was done as subjects (numbering 11).
Observations on Physical Growth
- The researchers monitored physical growth markers such as body weight, height, chest, and cannon bone size of the horses from their birth till 16 months, and a noticeable increase in these aspects was observed.
Changes in Hormone Concentrations
- The monthly blood-sampling process showed an initial increase in the mean plasma concentrations of INSL3 until two months after birth. This subsequently followed a pattern of decrease and increase until the study ended at 16 months.
- For testosterone levels, a high concentration was found at birth, which decreased sharply to a basal level within one month. The level remained low until 10 months, after which it gradually increased until the 16-month mark.
Seasonal Hormonal Fluctuations
- The study also looked into the seasonal changes in hormone concentrations. It was found that the mean plasma concentrations of INSL3 didn’t significantly differ between the breeding (March to September) and non-breeding (October to February) seasons. But testosterone levels were higher during the second breeding season when compared to the non-breeding season.
Age-related Hormonal Fluctuations
- The research also shed light on the age-related changes in hormone concentrations. An increase in INSL3 concentrations was observed during pre-puberty (1-12 months) and early-puberty (13-16 months). However, lower testosterone concentrations were noticed at pre-puberty when compared to birth and early-puberty stages.
To summarize, the researchers successfully developed a TRFIA to measure INSL3 levels in horses. The study concluded that INSL3 and testosterone concentrations have an inverse relationship in Thoroughbred male horses, as INSL3 levels increase with age while testosterone concentrations become lower during the non-breeding season. Moreover, the study proposed that INSL3 secretions are independent of the seasonal cycle, at least before puberty.
Cite This Article
APA
Hannan MA, Murase H, Sato F, Tsogtgerel M, Kawate N, Nambo Y.
(2019).
Age related and seasonal changes of plasma concentrations of insulin-like peptide 3 and testosterone from birth to early-puberty in Thoroughbred male horses.
Theriogenology, 132, 212-217.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2019.04.014 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Sciences, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan.
- Equine Science Division, Hidaka Training and Research Center, Japan Racing Association, 525-13 Nishicha Urakawa-Cho, Hokkaido, 057-0171, Japan.
- Equine Science Division, Hidaka Training and Research Center, Japan Racing Association, 525-13 Nishicha Urakawa-Cho, Hokkaido, 057-0171, Japan; United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan.
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Sciences, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan; United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan.
- Department of Advanced Pathobiology, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, Izumisano, Osaka, Japan.
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Sciences, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan; United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan. Electronic address: ynambo@obihiro.ac.jp.
MeSH Terms
- Aging
- Animals
- Horses / blood
- Horses / physiology
- Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / blood
- Male
- Seasons
- Sexual Maturation / physiology
- Testosterone / blood
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Kawate N. Insulin-like peptide 3 in domestic animals with normal and abnormal reproductive functions, in comparison to rodents and humans. Reprod Med Biol 2022 Jan-Dec;21(1):e12485.
- Wimalarathne HDA, Wako H, Kawate N. Quantitative analyses of insulin-like peptide 3 and sex steroid hormones in dominant follicles and corpora lutea during the estrus cycle and in follicular cysts in beef heifers. J Reprod Dev 2022 Oct 6;68(5):324-329.
- Olvera-Maneu S, Carbajal A, Gardela J, Lopez-Bejar M. Hair Cortisol, Testosterone, Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate and Their Ratios in Stallions as a Retrospective Measure of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axes Activity: Exploring the Influence of Seasonality. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jul 25;11(8).
- Khumsap S, Tangtrongsup S, Towiboon P, Somgird C. GnRH Vaccine Could Suppress Serum Testosterone in Stallion Mules. Animals (Basel) 2024 Jun 17;14(12).
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