Serum concentrations and testicular expressions of insulin-like peptide 3 and Anti-Müllerian hormone in normal and cryptorchid male horses.
Abstract: Insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3) is an important hormone for testicular descent during embryonic development and a factor for assessing functional status of Leydig cells of testes, but there is limited number of equine studies. Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a useful diagnostic marker for cryptorchidism in horses. This study aimed to compare serum concentrations and testicular expression intensity of INSL3 and AMH in intact and cryptorchid male horses. Serum INSL3 concentrations in intact (n = 9; mean ± SEM, 19.9 ± 5.9 ng/mL) and noncastrated unilateral cryptorchid (UC) male horses (n = 16; mean ± SEM, 16.8 ± 4.1 ng/mL) were higher compared with hemicastrated unilateral cryptorchid (HCUC) male horses (n = 9; mean ± SEM, 3.8 ± 0.7 ng/mL) (P < 0.05). And serum INSL3 in bilateral cryptorchid (BC) male horses (n = 4; 1.9 ± 0.4; mean ± SEM, ng/mL) were lower compared with intact male horses (P < 0.05). Serum AMH concentrations in BC male horses (n = 3; mean ± SEM, 30.6 ± 4.8 ng/mL) were higher compared with intact male horses (n = 5; mean ± SEM, 12.2 ± 3.9 ng/mL) (P < 0.05). Immunostaining of scrotal and cryptorchid testis showed that Sertoli cells were positive for AMH, and Leydig cells were positive for INSL3. Staining intensity of AMH was higher in cryptorchid testis than in scrotal testis (P < 0.05). Furthermore, AMH expression intensity was higher in abdominal testis than in inguinal testis (P < 0.05). Immunostaining intensity of INSL3 in the testis was positively correlated with serum INSL3 (r, 0.7; P < 0.01), seminiferous tubule area (r, 0.727; P < 0.01), and Johnsen score for spermatogenesis (r, 0.604; P < 0.05), whereas immunostaining intensity of AMH in the testis was negatively correlated with seminiferous tubule area (r, -0.814; P < 0.01) and Johnsen score for spermatogenesis (r, -0.807; P < 0.01). Our findings suggested that AMH is a good biomarker for diagnosing cryptorchidism in male horses, in addition to INSL3 values to assess the testis of intact and cryptorchid male horses.
Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2020-05-23 PubMed ID: 32645589DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2020.05.026Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
The researchers investigated the levels and expression of two hormones, Insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3) and Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), in normal and cryptorchid (undescended testes) male horses. Their results suggest that AMH is a useful marker for diagnosing cryptorchidism, and INSL3 can assess the functionality of testes in these horses.
Study Aim and Methodology
- The study aimed to explore the serum concentrations and testicular expression intensity of INSL3 and AMH in both intact and cryptorchid male horses.
- INSL3 is a hormone crucial for testicular descent during embryonic development and is a factor in evaluating the functional status of Leydig cells in testes.
- AMH is known to be a beneficial diagnostic marker for cryptorchidism, a condition where one or both of the testes fail to descend.
Results and Findings
- The results showed that levels of serum INSL3 in intact and non-castrated unilateral cryptorchid male horses were higher than those in hemicastrated unilateral cryptorchid male horses.
- Furthermore, the concentration of serum INSL3 in bilateral cryptorchid male horses was lower than in intact male horses.
- The concentration of serum AMH was found to be higher in bilateral cryptorchid male horses compared to intact male horses.
- Testicular immunostaining revealed positive AMH results in Sertoli cells and positive INSL3 results in Leydig cells.
- It was observed that the staining intensity of AMH was higher in cryptorchid testis than in scrotal testis, suggesting more significant AMH expression in the cryptorchid condition.
- Staining intensity of INSL3 in the testis was positively correlated with serum INSL3, seminiferous tubule area, and Johnsen score for spermatogenesis, whereas staining intensity of AMH in the testis was negatively correlated with the same factors. This suggests that these factors might be interrelated and influence testicular health.
Conclusion
- The findings led to the conclusion that AMH is a desirable biological marker for diagnosing cryptorchidism in male horses.
- Also, INSL3 values can provide information for assessing the functional status of testes in both intact and cryptorchid male horses, hence contributing to their healthcare and reproductive management.
Cite This Article
APA
Tsogtgerel M, Komyo N, Murase H, Hannan MA, Watanabe K, Ohtaki T, Tsumagari S, Kawate N, Nambo Y.
(2020).
Serum concentrations and testicular expressions of insulin-like peptide 3 and Anti-Müllerian hormone in normal and cryptorchid male horses.
Theriogenology, 154, 135-142.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2020.05.026 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan; Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-0880, Japan.
- Equine Science Division, Hidaka Training and Research Center, Japan Racing Association, Hokkaido, 0570-0171, Japan.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-0880, Japan.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-0880, Japan.
- Department of Advanced Pathobiology, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, Izumisano, Osaka, 598-8531, Japan.
- United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan; Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan. Electronic address: ynambo@obihiro.ac.jp.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Anti-Mullerian Hormone
- Cryptorchidism / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horses
- Insulins
- Male
- Peptides
- Testis
Conflict of Interest Statement
Declaration of competing interest The authors report no conflict of interest.
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Posastiuc FP, Rizzoto G, Constantin NT, Nicolae G, Chiers K, Diaconescu AI, Șerban AI, Van Soom A, Codreanu MD. Anti-Müllerian hormone as a diagnostic marker for testicular degeneration in dogs: insights from cryptorchid models. Front Vet Sci 2024;11:1481248.
- Anand-Ivell R, Coutinho AR, Dai Y, England G, Goericke-Pesch S, Ivell R. INSL3 Variation in Dogs Following Suppression and Recovery of the HPG Axis. Animals (Basel) 2024 Feb 21;14(5).
- 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.
- Shakeel M, Yoon M. Functions of somatic cells for spermatogenesis in stallions. J Anim Sci Technol 2022 Jul;64(4):654-670.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
