Effects of mating on plasma concentrations of testosterone, cortisol, oestrone sulphate and 15-ketodihydro-PGF2alpha in stallions.
Abstract: Very little information is available regarding the physiological mechanisms involved in the normal sexual activity in the stallion and, in particular, the endocrine control of reproduction is still not clearly understood. This experiment was designed to determine the short-term effect of sexual stimulation on plasma concentrations of testosterone, cortisol, oestrone sulphate and 15-ketodihydro-PGF(2alpha) in stallions. Semen samples were collected from 10 lighthorse stallions of proven fertility using a Missouri model artificial vagina. At the same time, blood samples were collected from the jugular vein with heparinized tubes, 20 and 10 min before oestrous mare exposure, at exposure and 10, 20, 30 min after dismounting. Testosterone concentrations showed a sharp rise 10 min after mating (p < 0.001), reached a plateau, and then showed a further increase 30 min after mating (p < 0.001). Cortisol concentrations increased 10 min after mating (p < 0.001) and remained at high levels in the subsequent samples taken. A peak of oestrone sulphate was observed 10 min after mating (p < 0.001). 15-Ketodihydro-PGF(2alpha) concentrations decreased rapidly at the moment of the exposure of the stallions to an oestrous mare (p < 0.05), returned to pre-mating concentrations and then decreased again 30 min after mating (p < 0.05).
Publication Date: 2006-11-17 PubMed ID: 17107515DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0531.2006.00711.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research article aims to understand the physiological effects of sexual activity on certain hormone levels in stallions. The researchers observed significant changes in the levels of testosterone, cortisol, oestrone sulphate, and 15-ketodihydro-PGF(2alpha) in the stallions’ plasma, both during and after mating.
Studying Endocrine Control of Reproduction in Stallions
- The physiological mechanisms involved in stallions’ sexual activity, particularly the endocrine control of reproduction, haven’t been well explored. This study tries to fill that knowledge gap by focusing on the short-term impact of sexual stimulation on the plasma concentrations of particular hormones in stallions.
Semen and Blood Sample Collection
- The experiment involved collecting semen samples from ten lighthorse stallions with proven fertility using a Missouri model artificial vagina. During this process, blood samples were also collected from the stallions’ jugular vein with heparinized tubes at multiple intervals – 20 and 10 minutes before exposure to a mare in oestrus, during exposure, and 10, 20, and 30 minutes after dismounting.
Alterations in Hormone Concentrations
- The concentrations of testosterone increased quickly ten minutes post-mating, leveled off, and then showed another increase thirty minutes after mating.
- Cortisol, another hormone, also saw an increase in levels within the same ten-minute window after mating, and these elevated levels persisted in subsequent samples collected.
- A peak in oestrone sulphate, a type of estrogen, was observed ten minutes after mating.
- Interestingly, the concentrations of 15-Ketodihydro-PGF(2alpha) rapidly decreased at the moment of the stallions’ exposure to an oestrous mare. These levels returned to pre-mating concentrations before decreasing again thirty minutes post-mating.
Implications of the Study
- These findings shed light on the changes that mating triggers in certain hormone levels in stallions. The specific hormones analyzed in this study are crucial in various physiological processes, including stress response (cortisol), sexual function and behavior (testosterone and oestrone sulphate), and reproductive function (15-Ketodihydro-PGF(2alpha)) in stallions.
Cite This Article
APA
Villani M, Cairoli F, Kindahl H, Galeati G, Faustini M, Carluccio A, Veronesi MC.
(2006).
Effects of mating on plasma concentrations of testosterone, cortisol, oestrone sulphate and 15-ketodihydro-PGF2alpha in stallions.
Reprod Domest Anim, 41(6), 544-548.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0531.2006.00711.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Veterinarie, Sez. Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica Veterinaria, Milan, Italy.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Dinoprost / analogs & derivatives
- Dinoprost / blood
- Ejaculation / physiology
- Estrone / analogs & derivatives
- Estrone / blood
- Horses / blood
- Horses / physiology
- Hydrocortisone / blood
- Male
- Sexual Behavior, Animal / physiology
- Testosterone / blood
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Woszczyło M, Szumny A, Knap P, Jezierski T, Niżański W, Kokocińska A, Skwark MJ, Dzięcioł M. The influence of manual semen collection in male trained dogs (Canis familiaris), in the presence or absence of a female in estrus, on the concentrations of cortisol, oxytocin, prolactin and testosterone.. PLoS One 2023;18(2):e0278524.
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