Endocrine adaptations in the foal over the perinatal period.
Abstract: In adapting to life ex utero, the foal encounters a number of physiological challenges. It has to assume the nutritional, respiratory and excretory functions of the placenta and activate full regulatory control over its own internal environment for the first time. To achieve this, there must be structural and functional changes to a wide range of tissues including several endocrine glands. In most species, including the horse, these maturational changes begin in late gestation and continue into the first few days of neonatal life. Consequently, during this perinatal period, there are major changes in the sensitivity and/or set point of key endocrine axes, which alter the circulating hormone concentrations in the foal. In turn, these endocrine changes are responsible for many of the other physiological adaptations essential for neonatal survival. The perinatal alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis are particularly important in these processes, although the sympatho-adrenal medullary axis and endocrine pancreas also have key roles in ensuring homeostasis during the multiple novel stimuli experienced at birth. Abnormalities in the perinatal endocrine profile caused by adverse conditions before or after birth may, therefore, lead to maladaptation or aid survival of the newborn foal depending on the specific circumstances. This review examines the perinatal changes in endocrinology in normal and compromised foals and the role of these endocrine changes in the physiological adaptations to extrauterine life with particular emphasis on the HPA axis, adreno-medullary catecholamines and the endocrine pancreas.
Publication Date: 2012-05-19 PubMed ID: 22594041DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2011.00505.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
- Review
Summary
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The research article focuses on the various adaptations that a newborn horse or foal goes through during the perinatal period, concentrating specifically on endocrine adaptations, which are essential for survival outside the womb.
Perinatal Challenges for the Foal
- The study revolves around the numerous physiological modifications that a foal must undergo when transitioning from life inside the uterus to the external environment. The foal must replace the functions that the placenta used to perform, such as nutrition, respiration, and waste management, while also establishing comprehensive regulatory control over its own internal environment.
Structural and Functional Changes
- To meet these new requirements, the foal’s body undergoes structural and functional changes in various tissues, including several endocrine glands. These maturation changes often start in late gestation and continue into the early days of life outside the womb.
- As a result of these changes, the foal experiences significant modifications in the sensitivity and/or set point of key endocrine axes, affecting circulating hormone concentrations.
Role of Endocrine Changes
- These hormonal shifts are attributed to many of the other physiological adaptations necessary for neonatal survival, especially the perinatal modifications in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.
- Other crucial contributors to ensuring homeostasis in the face of new stimuli at birth include the sympatho-adrenal medullary axis and the endocrine pancreas.
Consequences of Abnormal Endocrine Profile
- The study also notes that any abnormalities in the perinatal endocrine profile, induced by unfavorable conditions before or after birth, could either lead to maladaptation or enhance the survival chances of the newborn foal, contingent on the specific circumstances.
Focus of the Review
- Specifically, this review scrutinizes the perinatal changes in endocrinology in both normal and compromised foals. It also discusses the role of these endocrine changes in the foal’s physiological adaptations to life outside the uterus, with a particular emphasis on the HPA axis, adreno-medullary catecholamines, and the endocrine pancreas.
Cite This Article
APA
Fowden AL, Forhead AJ, Ousey JC.
(2012).
Endocrine adaptations in the foal over the perinatal period.
Equine Vet J Suppl(41), 130-139.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2011.00505.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. alf1000@cam.ac.uk
MeSH Terms
- Adaptation, Physiological / physiology
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn / physiology
- Horses / physiology
- Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / physiology
- Pituitary-Adrenal System / physiology
Citations
This article has been cited 13 times.- Johnson K, Peterson J, Kopper J, Dembek K. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis response to ovine corticotropin-releasing-hormone stimulation tests in healthy and hospitalized foals. J Vet Intern Med 2023 Jan;37(1):292-301.
- Macleay CM, Carrick J, Shearer P, Begg A, Stewart M, Heller J, Chicken C, Brookes VJ. A Scoping Review of the Global Distribution of Causes and Syndromes Associated with Mid- to Late-Term Pregnancy Loss in Horses between 1960 and 2020. Vet Sci 2022 Apr 13;9(4).
- Kinsella HM, Hostnik LD, Snyder HA, Mazur SE, Kamr AM, Burns TA, Mossbarger JC, Toribio RE. Comparison of insulin sensitivity between healthy neonatal foals and horses using minimal model analysis. PLoS One 2022;17(1):e0262584.
- Lauteri E, Mariella J, Beccati F, Roelfsema E, Castagnetti C, Pepe M, Peric T, Barbato O, Montillo M, Rouge S, Freccero F. Adrenal Gland Ultrasonographic Measurements and Plasma Hormone Concentrations in Clinically Healthy Newborn Thoroughbred and Standardbred Foals. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jun 19;11(6).
- Kinsella HM, Hostnik LD, Rings LM, Swink JM, Burns TA, Toribio RE. Glucagon, insulin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and cortisol in response to carbohydrates and fasting in healthy neonatal foals. J Vet Intern Med 2021 Jan;35(1):550-559.
- Swink JM, Rings LM, Snyder HA, McAuley RC, Burns TA, Dembek KA, Gilsenan WF, Browne N, Toribio RE. Dynamics of androgens in healthy and hospitalized newborn foals. J Vet Intern Med 2021 Jan;35(1):538-549.
- Müller V, Toribio RE, Dembek K, Moraes BSS, Mousquer MA, Curcio BR, Nogueira CEW. Serum cortisol and thyroid hormone concentrations and survival in foals born from mares with experimentally induced ascending placentitis. J Vet Intern Med 2020 May;34(3):1332-1338.
- Rings LM, Swink JM, Dunbar LK, Burns TA, Toribio RE. Enteroinsular axis response to carbohydrates and fasting in healthy newborn foals. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Nov;33(6):2752-2764.
- Dembek KA, Johnson LM, Timko KJ, Minuto JS, Hart KA, Barr BS, Toribio RE. Multiple adrenocortical steroid response to administration of exogenous adrenocorticotropic hormone to hospitalized foals. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Jul;33(4):1766-1774.
- Nacarino-Meneses C, Köhler M. Limb bone histology records birth in mammals. PLoS One 2018;13(6):e0198511.
- Cruz B, Gomes-Marcondes MC. Leucine-rich diet supplementation modulates foetal muscle protein metabolism impaired by Walker-256 tumour. Reprod Biol Endocrinol 2014 Jan 3;12:2.
- Ishimaru M, Kume K, Murase H, Sato F, Matsui A, Ohmura H, Taya K. Effect of birth month on endocrine function in Thoroughbred foals born in Hokkaido, the northern part of Japan. J Vet Med Sci 2025 Jul 7;87(7):804-815.
- Porto ACRC, Redoan MA, Massoco CO, Furtado PV, Oliveira CA. Additional effects using progestins in mares on levels of thyroid hormones and steroids in neonates. Anim Reprod 2023;20(4):e20230029.
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