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Experimentally Induced Testicular Alterations in Boars: Hormonal Changes in Mature and Peripubertal Boars

Experimenteilt framkallad testikeldegeneration hos galt: hormonella förändringar hos könsmogna och pubertala gaitar.

Abstract

Eleven sexually mature boars and 10 peripubertal boars were used to study the effects of elevated testicular temperature on plasma hormonal levels. The scrotum of the boars was covered with a textile-aluminium foil insulation device for 100 h. Insulation of the scrotum in the peripubertal boars took place at an age of 100 days.

Blood samples were drawn 3 times daily for 12 days in the mature boars, starting 3 days before scrotal insulation. In the peripubertal boars, blood sampling was performed once a day for 11 days, starting the first day of scrotal insulation.

During scrotal insulation, the plasma levels of testosterone, oestradiol-17 β and oestrone sulphate decreased continuously in the mature boars. After removal of the scrotal insulation device there was a continuously increase, back to normal levels of oestradiol-17 β and oestrone sulphate. The plasma levels of testosterone showed an immediate rise of brief duration after removal of the device in 5 of the boars, while in the other 6 boars the rise in testosterone levels came 4 days after removal and lasted for 3 days.

In the peripubertal boars, there were no significant differences in the hormone levels between the experimental and control animals during and after scrotal insulation. However, the decrease in testosterone concentration over time, during scrotal insulation, was significant within the experimental group.

Sammanfattning

Elva könsmogna och 10 peripubertala gaitar användes för att studera effekten av förhöjd testikeltemperatur på hormonnivåerna i blodet. Skrotum täcktes med en värmeisolerande påse i 100 tim. På de unga galtarna skedde skrotumisoleringen vid 100 dagars ålder. Blodprov togs från de könsmogna galtarna 3 ggr/dagl. i 12 dagar, med början 3 dagar innan skrotumisoleringen. Från de peripubertala galtarna togs blodprov 1 gång dagl. i 11 dagar, med början samma dag som skrotumisoleringen startade.

Under skrotumisoleringen av de könsmogna galtarna sjönk perifera plasmanivåerna av testosteron, östradiol-17β och östron-sulfat. När isoleringen togs bort ökade nivåerna av östradiol-17β och östronsulfat succesivt tillbaka till ursprungvärdena. Plasmanivåerna av testosteron uppvisade en snabb ökning med kort duration efter avtagandet av skrotumisoleringen hos 5 av galtarna, medan hos de andra 6 kom ökningen 4 dagar senare och varade i 3 dagar.

Hos de peripubertala galtarna var det ingen signifikant skillnad, beträffande hormonnivåerna, mellan experiment och kontrolldjuren under och efter skrotumisoleringen. Däremot var sänkningen av testosteronnivåerna över tiden signifikant hos experimentgruppen under skrotumisoleringen.

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Malmgren, L. Experimentally Induced Testicular Alterations in Boars: Hormonal Changes in Mature and Peripubertal Boars. Acta Vet Scand 31, 97–107 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03547582

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