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The Effect of a Bacterial Endotoxin or Cloprostenol on the Clinical Status and Hormonal Levels in 80–100 Days Pregnant Gilts

Effekten au ett bakteriellt endotoxin och cloprostenol på kliniskt status och hormonnivåer hos 80–100 dagars dräktiga gyltor. Ett experiment utfördes för att undersöka effekten av endotoxin (lipopolysackarid (LPS)) från Salmonella typhimurium på den luteala funktionen hos 80 dagars dräktiga gyltor. Fyra djur fick en i.v. dos av 2 µg/kg kroppsvikt LPS och 3 djur en i.m. dos av 500 µg cloprostenol (GP). Gyltor som bibehöll dräktigheten efter den första injektionen blev ombehandlade med CP omkring dag 100. Kliniska observationer utfördes och plasmanivåer av 15-keto-13,14-dihydro-PGF2α, progesteron, östra diol-17β och östronsulfat analyserades med radioimmunologiska mätmetoder

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 27, pages 145–158 (1986)Cite this article

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to examine the effect of a lipopoly-saccharide (LPS) of Salmonella typhimurium on the luteal function in 80 days pregnant gilts. Four animals were i.v. injected with 2 μg LPS/kg body weight and 3 animals were i.m. injected with 500 μg cloprostenol (CP). Gilts which maintained pregnancy after the initial injection were reinjected with GP around day 100. Clinical observations were made and plasma levels of 15-keto-13,14-dihydro-PGF2α, progesterone, oestradiol-17β and oestrone sulphate were analysed by radioimmunoassay.

The LPS induced a characteristic clinical endotoxemia. All LPS treated gilts maintained pregnancy until day 100 when 1 gilt aborted, 1 was emergency slaughtered and 2 reinjected. The comparative injections of CP induced abortion! within 48 h in 2 of 3 gilts at 80 days and in all reinjected animals at 100 days of pregnancy. Progesterone decreased immediately after both LPS and CP injections. In non-aborting gilts, the progesterone decrease had a transient character. The PGF2α metabolite levels responded to LPS by a dramatic surge of approximately 4 h duration. All abortions were accompanied by a massive release of PGF2α reaching peak levels during expulsion of the foetuses. Oestradiol-17ß and oestrone sulphate followed an ascendent pattern between days 80 and 100. Occasional transient decreases in oestradiol-17ß or increases in oestrone sulphate levels after LPS and CP injections were observed in several animals. Abortions were followed by a sharp decrease of both oestrogens. Post-abortum reproductive disorders occurred frequently. Endocrine changes associated with post-abortum ovarian activity were relevant to the clinical and morphological observations. The relationship between the stage of pregnancy in the pig and its endocrine response to abortifacient agents as well as some foetopathic effects of the endotoxin are discussed.

Sammendrag

Lipopolysackarid framkallade en, karakteristisk klinisk endotoxemi. Alla gyltor behandlade med LPS bibehöll dräktigheten fram till dag 100 då en gylta aborterade, en blev nödslaktad och 2 ombehandlades. Cloprostenolinjektioner orsakade abort inom 48 timmar i 2 av 3 gyltor vid 80 dagar och i alla ombehandlade djur vid 100 dagars dräktighet. Progesteronnivåerna sjönk omedelbart efter både LPS och GP injektioner. Hos icke-aborterande gyltor hade progesteronminskningen en övergående karaktär. Nivåer av PGF2α metaboliten reagerade på LPS med en dramatisk förhöjning varande ca 4 timmar. Alla aborter följdes av massiva frisättningar av PGF2α med maximum under utdrivandet av kultingarna. Nivåer av östradiol-17β och östronsulfat ökade kontinuerligt mellan 80 och 100 dagar. Enstaka övergående minskningar i östradiol-17β nivå eller ökningar i östronsulfat nivå observerades efter LPS och CP injektioner hos flera djur. Aborter följdes av en skarp minskning av båda östrogenerna. Reproduktionsstörningar förekom frekvent efter aborterna såsom äggstockscystor. De endokrina förändringarna motsvarade de kliniska och morfologiska observationerna. Relationerna mellan olika dräktighetsstadier och de endokrina svaren på abortframkallande substanser liksom några fetopatiska effekter av endotoxiner diskuteras.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Catharina Falkenberg for technical assistance. Analyses of the steroid hormones were made in the Department of Clinical Chemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. The endotoxin was kindly supplied by Dr. S. B. Svenson, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm. Stipendium to N. Cort from the Swedish Institute, Stockholm, is acknowledged. This study was supported by the Swedish Council for Forestry and Agricultural Research.

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  1. the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, S-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden

    Nicholas Cort & Hans Kindahl

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Cort, N., Kindahl, H. The Effect of a Bacterial Endotoxin or Cloprostenol on the Clinical Status and Hormonal Levels in 80–100 Days Pregnant Gilts. Acta Vet Scand 27, 145–158 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03548160

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Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica

ISSN: 1751-0147