Effect of corticotherapy on proteomics of endometrial fluid from mares susceptible to persistent postbreeding endometritis.
Abstract: The objective was to determine the effects of corticotherapy, in the presence and absence of uterine inflammation, on proteomics of endometrial fluid from mares susceptible to endometritis. In 11 mares, estrus was induced seven times with 5 mg PGF(2α) given at 14-day intervals. The first estrus was a control (no treatment). During the third estrus, mares received glucocorticoid (GC) treatment (20 mg isoflupredone acetate) every 12 h, for three consecutive days. The fifth estrus was the Infected treatment (intrauterine infusion of 1 × 10(9) colony-forming unit/mL Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus). Finally, the seventh was a combination of GC + Infected treatment (infusion of bacteria 24 h after the first GC treatment). At 12 h after the end of each treatment, uterine samples were collected and submitted to two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) for protein separation and mass spectrometry. Both GC treatment and uterine lumen infection induced proteomic alterations in the endometrial fluid of susceptible mares, characterized by an increase, decrease, or both in the relative optic density and/or frequency of inflammatory acute phase proteins (APP), with major alterations occurring when corticotherapy was applied in the presence of an infectious process. Corticotherapy in the presence of infection increased α(1)-antitrypsin (AAT), transthyretin (TT), and actin, but reduced immunoglobulin G, whereas intrauterine infection increased haptoglobin (Hp) and apolipoprotein A-1 (ApoA-1) and decreased transferrin (TF). Infection reduced levels of α(1)-antitrypsin and transthyretin, whereas corticotherapy in the presence of infection increased their frequency. We concluded that GC influenced the immune response, not only as suppressors, but also as enhancers of local defense mechanisms, through an immunomodulatory action. Short-term corticotherapy could be beneficial for treatment of uterine infectious processes in the mare.
Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2012-01-05 PubMed ID: 22225686DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2011.10.042Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The study explored how corticotherapy, both independently and in conjunction with uterine inflammation, influenced the proteins found in the uterine fluid of mares susceptible to endometritis. The researchers concluded that corticotherapy not only suppressed but also enhanced the immune response, suggesting its potential use in treating uterine infections in mares.
Methodology
- The study was performed on 11 mares in which estrus was induced seven times at 14-day intervals using 5 mg PGF(2α).
- The mares were divided into various treatment groups. The first estrus involved no treatment and served as a control group.
- During the third estrus, the mares received glucocorticoid treatment every 12 hours for three consecutive days. The treatment consisted of 20 mg isoflupredone acetate.
- The fifth estrus involved an infected treatment where the mares were given intrauterine infusion of a specific strain of bacteria.
- Finally, the seventh estrus combined the glucocorticoid treatment and the infected treatment.
- At the end of each treatment phase, uterine samples were collected and analysed.
Findings
- Unique proteomic alterations were observed in the endometrial fluid of the mares following the glucocorticoid treatment and the infection treatment.
- These alterations were characterised by changes in the relative optic density and/or frequency of inflammation-associated acute phase proteins.
- The most significant alterations occurred when corticotherapy was applied simultaneously with the infectious process.
- When corticotherapy was administered in the presence of the infection, levels of α(1)-antitrypsin, transthyretin, and actin increased, while immunoglobulin G levels decreased.
- On the other hand, infection independently increased haptoglobin and apolipoprotein A-1 levels but reduced transferrin levels.
Conclusion
- This research concluded that corticotherapy has a two-fold impact on the immune response: it both suppresses and enhances local defense mechanisms through its immunomodulatory action.
- As a result, short-term corticotherapy could potentially be beneficial in treating uterine infectious processes in mares.
Cite This Article
APA
Wolf CA, Maslchitzky E, Gregory RM, Jobim MI, Mattos RC.
(2012).
Effect of corticotherapy on proteomics of endometrial fluid from mares susceptible to persistent postbreeding endometritis.
Theriogenology, 77(7), 1351-1359.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2011.10.042 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- REPROLAB, Veterinary Faculty, University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. cvetwolf@yahoo.com.br
MeSH Terms
- Acute-Phase Proteins / metabolism
- Animals
- Apolipoprotein A-I / metabolism
- Disease Susceptibility / veterinary
- Endometritis / drug therapy
- Endometritis / microbiology
- Endometritis / veterinary
- Endometrium / drug effects
- Endometrium / metabolism
- Female
- Fluprednisolone / analogs & derivatives
- Fluprednisolone / therapeutic use
- Glucocorticoids / therapeutic use
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Proteomics
- Streptococcus equi
- Transferrin / metabolism
- alpha 1-Antitrypsin / metabolism
Citations
This article has been cited 6 times.- Satué K, Calvo A, Muñoz A, Fazio E, Medica P. Interrelationship between reproductive hormones and acute phase proteins during estrous cycle and pregnancy in Spanish purebred broodmares. Vet Anim Sci 2021 Dec;14:100212.
- Canisso IF, Segabinazzi LGTM, Fedorka CE. Persistent Breeding-Induced Endometritis in Mares - a Multifaceted Challenge: From Clinical Aspects to Immunopathogenesis and Pathobiology. Int J Mol Sci 2020 Feb 20;21(4).
- Smits K, Gansemans Y, Tilleman L, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Van De Velde M, Gerits I, Ververs C, Roels K, Govaere J, Peelman L, Deforce D, Van Soom A. Maternal Recognition of Pregnancy in the Horse: Are MicroRNAs the Secret Messengers?. Int J Mol Sci 2020 Jan 9;21(2).
- Smits K, Willems S, Van Steendam K, Van De Velde M, De Lange V, Ververs C, Roels K, Govaere J, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Peelman L, Deforce D, Van Soom A. Proteins involved in embryo-maternal interaction around the signalling of maternal recognition of pregnancy in the horse. Sci Rep 2018 Mar 27;8(1):5249.
- Bundgaard L, Jacobsen S, Sørensen MA, Sun Z, Deutsch EW, Moritz RL, Bendixen E. The Equine PeptideAtlas: a resource for developing proteomics-based veterinary research. Proteomics 2014 Mar;14(6):763-73.
- da Silva-Álvarez E, Gómez-Arrones V, Correa-Fiz F, Martín-Cano FE, Gaitskell-Phillips G, Carrasco JJ, Rey J, Aparicio IM, Peña FJ, Alonso JM, Ortega-Ferrusola C. Metagenomic and proteomic analyses reveal similar reproductive microbial profiles and shared functional pathways in uterine immune regulation in mares and jennies. PLoS One 2025;20(4):e0321389.
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