Oxytocin and cortisol release during suckling, hand-milking and machine milking in camels

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Marwa Brahmi ◽  
Moufida Atigui ◽  
Ihmen Hammadi ◽  
Jacques Portanguen ◽  
Mohamed Hammadi ◽  
...  

Abstract This research paper addresses the hypothesis that oxytocin (OT) could be released during suckling and during milking with and without the presence of a calf and that this release could be regulated by maternal behaviour. Plasma concentration patterns of OT and cortisol (CORT) were measured in six Tunisian dromedary camels during 2 suckling episodes, 2 manual milking episodes with calves beside the mother and 2 machine milking episodes without calves present. Various patterns of OT release were observed between each camel including specific two peak release patterns. Higher plasma OT concentrations were found during the suckling and hand-milking episodes with simultaneous suckling of calves, than during the machine milking episodes without calves. Exclusive mechanical milking episodes also evoked significant mean OT release, although greatly reduced compared to suckling and hand milking. The low basal levels and classical CORT release patterns suggested non-stressful management practices were used and there were very limited differences in udder stimulation between managements. The OT release induced by exclusive suckling and suckling together with hand-milking gives a reference point for what a good milk ejection stimulation is in camels. The important and specific reduction of OT release during machine milking without the calf present could be a physiological consequence of the maternal behaviour (selectivity for the own young) and to a lesser extent explained by a lower stimulation by machine milking.

2005 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chirathalattu S Thomas ◽  
Rupert M Bruckmaier ◽  
Karin Östensson ◽  
Kerstin Svennersten-Sjaunja

Milking-related release of oxytocin, prolactin, and cortisol was studied following three pre-milking treatments. Six Murrah buffaloes were treated with direct application of milking cluster (O), a 1-min pre-stimulation (M), and combined feeding and pre-stimulation (MF). Machine milk yield, stripping yield and milk composition were recorded. Milk ejection occurred significantly earlier with MF than M and O (P<0·05; 2·50, 5·10 and 6·33 min, respectively). In all treatments, milk ejection occurred with small increases >3–5 ng/l in oxytocin concentration. Increase in oxytocin concentration over a threshold level and milk ejection occurred simultaneously and were closely correlated (r=0·83, P<0·05). There was a positive correlation between total time oxytocin concentration remained elevated over threshold levels and machine yield (r=0·86, P<0·05). For treatment O, milk ejection was inhibited during machine milking, while a marked increase in oxytocin occurred during hand stripping (6 and 16 ng/l, respectively). For treatment M, mean oxytocin concentrations remained unchanged during pre-stimulation but increased during subsequent machine milking and hand stripping (6·38, 18·06 and 12·36 ng/l, respectively). For treatment MF, although there was a 3·6-fold increase during pre-stimulation, oxytocin increased by 10-fold and 3-fold during machine milking and hand stripping, and was significant for machine milking (P<0·05, 17·32, 47·86, 18·13 ng/l, respectively). Milk-ejection-related cortisol release was visible only in treatment MF. For treatments O and M, prolactin concentration increased prior to the increase in oxytocin. The stripping yield was higher, and fat content in the stripping yield significantly lower, for treatment O indicating incomplete milking. Thus buffaloes are easily disturbed even by small changes in milking routines.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 295 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Kaskous

Dromedary camels have the capability and the genetic potential to achieve high levels of milk production. However, systematic breeding programs to increase milk production are not common in this species. Dromedary camels are not well adapted to machine milking. Milk removal obviously requires in most farms a pre-stimulation through calf suckling before the milking machine can completely harvest the stored milk. In camels, most of the milk is stored in the alveolar compartment (>90-95%) of the udder. Therefore, almost no milk can be obtained in the absence of milk ejection. In addition, the morphological, anatomical and physiological properties of the camel udder are complex and not fully understood. Because of all biological and economical limitations related to machine milking dromedary camels are mostly hand-milked. The introduction of machine milking makes only slow progress and is limited to intensive dairy camel farms in a few countries. Machine milking of dromedary camels showed so far acceptable results. However, some studies clearly showed that udder emptying by machine milking with the available equipment is not satisfactory. The amount of residual milk after machine milking is high and was up to 30 % or even more of the stored milk in some studies. This means that the used machine needs to be improved to fit the camel's udder. Nevertheless, some studies clearly showed that a major proportion of dromedary camels have a suitable machine milking ability.


2001 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 559-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
WOLF-DIETER KRAETZL ◽  
VLADIMIR TANCIN ◽  
DIETER SCHAMS

About 10% of primiparous cows have no milk ejection during the first milkings after delivery. Therefore, 17 Brown Swiss dairy cows in their first lactation were used to evaluate the extent of disturbed milk let-down and the corresponding oxytocin (OT) plasma values in the 1st 5 days after delivery. The first milking was 9–22 h after parturition and served for classification of the cows to groups with inhibited (INH), bimodal (BIMO) or normal (NOR) milk let-down. The OT plasma levels before the start of manual teat stimulation and machine milking were comparably high during the first milking especially in NOR and BIMO cows. Ten minutes before the second milking (M2), 300 mg of the opioid antagonist naloxone was injected to test whether the disturbance was affected by the action of endogenous opioids on the neurohypophysis. The milk yield was not influenced by the naloxone treatment, and the INH cows had milk ejection only after a vaginal stimulation. Afterwards, the cows were milked twice every day, until the milk let-down and the OT release were unaffected (equal to control milking). Then, at the next milking, the cows were injected with 300 mg morphine 10 min before milking. The central OT release in response to manual teat stimulation and machine milking was completely blocked in all cows, but a vaginal stimulation was able to abolish this block, at least partially, in 16 cows. Thus, morphine produced a milk let-down characteristic as in the INH cows during the first three milkings. For the following milking, the cows were pre-treated with 300 mg naloxone (−15 min) plus 300 mg morphine (−10 min) before milking. The OT release and the milk yields were unaffected when compared with the control milking. This experiment demonstrates that exogenous opioids can affect the central release of OT in a naloxone-reversible manner even very soon after parturition. However, endogenous opioids are probably not the main mediators of disturbed central OT release and alveolar milk ejection in post-partum primiparous cows.


2003 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Weiss ◽  
Alen Dzidic ◽  
Rupert M Bruckmaier

Release of oxytocin (OT) is essential for milk ejection in dairy cows (Lefcourt & Akers, 1983; Bruckmaier & Blum, 1998). During milk ejection, alveolar milk is shifted into the cistern, which causes an increase of intracisternal pressure (Bruckmaier et al. 1994). To initiate maximum milk ejection at the start of milking, increasing OT concentration beyond a threshold level is sufficient (Schams et al. 1983). Increasing OT concentration beyond this threshold has no additional effect on intracisternal pressure, i.e., milk ejection (Bruckmaier et al. 1994). Stimulatory effects of milking by hand or by machine or by suckling are well documented (Gorewit et al. 1992; Bar-Peled et al. 1995; Tancin et al. 1995; Bruckmaier & Blum, 1996). At the start of milking, stimulatory effects of machine milking without pre-stimulation or with a manual pre-stimulation and subsequent machine milking cause the release of comparable amounts of OT (Gorewit & Gassman, 1985; Mayer et al. 1985; Bruckmaier & Blum, 1996), whereas the timing of the applied pre-stimulation is important for the shape of the milk flow curve. Should the pre-stimulation period be too short, or absent altogether, the start of the main milk flow is delayed resulting in a bimodal milk flow profile (Bruckmaier & Blum, 1996). Furthermore, the stimulation of only one teat causes an OT release similar to that caused by stimulation of all four teats (Bruckmaier et al. 2001). However, milk production is greater for hand milking or suckling than for machine milking, possibly owing to higher OT concentrations (Gorewit et al. 1992; Bar-Peled et al. 1995).


2010 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 468-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Ambord ◽  
Michael H Stoffel ◽  
Rupert M Bruckmaier

The present study was conducted to assess the interrelation between teat anatomy and machine milking in dairy buffaloes raised in Switzerland. A 3-min pre-stimulation induced milk ejection before cluster attachment in most cases and caused an optimal milk removal during machine milking. In an additional experiment, longitudinal cross-section ultrasound was obtained before and after a 3-min pre-stimulation. Teat wall thickness, teat diameter, cisternal diameter and teat canal length were evaluated. It was observed that 3-min pre-stimulation dramatically reduced teat canal length whereas all the other anatomical parameters remained unchanged. The vacuum needed to open the teat canal was also measured before and after a 3-min pre-stimulation by using a special teat cup with only the mouthpiece of the liner remaining on the top of the teat cup (no liner, no pulsation). Without pre-stimulation but after wetting the teat canal by stripping one squirt of milk out of the teat, no milk could be withdrawn with a vacuum up to 39 kPa. However, after pre-stimulation, milk flow occurred in all buffaloes at a vacuum between 16 and 38 kPa. In the last experiment, the teat tissue was examined in slaughtered buffaloes and compared with teat tissue of cows. No difference was noted in histological sections and teat canal length was similar in cows and buffaloes. Proximal to the teat canal, the teat did not pass into an open cistern but the lumen was collapsed. In conclusion, buffaloes need to be well pre-stimulated because the tissue above the teat canal provides additional teat closure before milk ejection. Therefore, milk can only be obtained after pre-stimulation.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Champak Bhakat

Experiment was conducted on Jersey crossbred cows (12) to compare 2 management practices viz. hand andmachine milking. Field investigations were also carried out on other milking management practices, IMI, hygienestatus and cleanliness in 3 stages. A total of 459 milk samples were analysed. Farm experimentation revealed thatSCC and MCMT were significantly higher in hand milking as compared to machine milking management. Butmilk yield and milk extraction rate were significantly lower in hand milking as compared to machine milkingmanagement. The time required for milking/animal was significantly higher in hand milking as compared to machinemilking management. The morning and evening milk samples of both hand and machine milking showed highervalues of SCC, MCMT, pH during evening as compared to morning session but milk yield and milk extraction ratewere lower during evening as compared to morning session whereas time required for milking/animal was higherin morning as compared to evening time. Almost similar trend of fat and SNF (%) were estimated in both milkingsession. Field investigation indicated that SCC, MCMT, pH were higher in IMI animal as compared to no-IMIanimal whereas fat and SNF were lower in IMI animal as compared to no IMI animal. Teat dipping and screeningof udders for mastitis were never followed by any farmer. Most of farmer having single cow, maintained goodhygiene status and cleanliness but most of the farmer having &gt;3 cows, maintained poor hygiene status. Farmexperimentation concluded that the IMI can be reduced in machine milking practices in comparison to hand milkingpractices with higher milk quantity without affecting milk composition in Jersey crossbred cows. Field investigationconcluded that there is a significant association between animal keeping pattern and hygiene status/cleanliness atstudy area. So efforts should be made to increase cleanliness and hygiene status in milking cows itself, housing ofanimal and milkers of farmer’s house to reduce incidence of IMI in changing scenario.


2001 ◽  
Vol 70 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 121-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rupert M. Bruckmaier

1978 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 601 ◽  
Author(s):  
BA Panaretto ◽  
ALC Wallace

Flumethasone was given to Merino wethers weighing 30-50 kg at rates of 0�62-1� 35 mg/kgO'7 5 by intravenous (experiments 1 and 2), intraruminal (experiment 4) and subcutaneous (experiment 5) routes over 8 days. In experiment 3, 1� 2 mgflumethasone/kg'"?" was given intravenously over 4, 5 or 6 days. The plasma concentration profiles showed concentrations in the order: intravenous > subcutaneous > intraruminal. Plasma concentration patterns usually were highest during the first 48 h of infusion followed by relatively stable values. This last feature was not evident in experiments when the rate of hormone infusion was increased. Estimates of the metabolic clearance rates for flumethasone in experiments 1, 2 and 5 were 200-700 ml/min during the' equilibrium concentration periods.


2014 ◽  
Vol 221 (2) ◽  
pp. 309-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
María E Díaz ◽  
Johanna G Miquet ◽  
Soledad P Rossi ◽  
Pablo E Irene ◽  
Ana I Sotelo ◽  
...  

Current GH administration protocols imply frequent s.c. injections, resulting in suboptimal compliance. Therefore, there is interest in developing delivery systems for sustained release of the hormone. However, GH has different actions depending on its continuous or pulsatile plasma concentration pattern. GH levels and circulating concentration patterns could be involved in the regulation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression in liver. Aberrant expression of this receptor and/or its hyperactivation has been associated with the pathogenesis of different types of carcinoma. Considering that one of the adverse effects associated with GH overexpression and chronic use of GH is the increased incidence of malignancies, the aim of this study was to analyze the effects of GH plasma concentration patterns on EGFR expression and signaling in livers of mice. For this purpose, GH was administered by s.c. daily injections to produce an intermittent plasma pattern or by osmotic pumps to provoke a continuously elevated GH concentration. Intermittent injections of GH induced upregulation of liver EGFR content, augmented the response to EGF, and the induction of proteins involved in promotion of cell proliferation in female mice. In contrast, continuous GH delivery in male mice was associated with diminished EGFR in liver and decreased EGF-induced signaling and expression of early genes. The results indicate that sustained delivery systems that allow continuous GH plasma patterns would be beneficial in terms of treatment safety with regard to the actions of GH on EGFR signaling and its promitogenic activity.


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