Effect of royal jelly on puberty of ewe lambs

In this study, we investigated the effect of royal jelly on the puberty of female ¼ Romanov × ¾ Morkaraman crossbred lambs. Royal jelly was applied in two ways: orally and intravaginally. The rate of estrus as well as the day and time (in hours) of estrus were observed and determined by real-time ultrasonography (for pregnancy) and laparoscopic surgery (ovary examination). Three groups of lambs were observed. The first group, consisting of 15 female lambs, was treated intravaginally; in the second group, 15 female lambs were treated orally; and the third group, which served as control, consisted of 10 ewe lambs that were not treated with royal jelly. Estrus rates in the intravaginally and orally treated groups were 13% and 20%, respectively, whereas the control group showed no estrus activity. However, estrus interval in both groups was observed 3-5 days after the withdrawal of the treatment. All the animals had an active ovary when observed during estrus activity by ovary examination. Yearling ¼ Romanov-bred ewes respond positively to royal jelly application. Increasing the doses and extending the duration of royal jelly application might yield better results.

Ovarian steroid secretion in normally menstruating women II. The contribution of the corpus luteum

In 9 normally menstruating women undergoing surgical sterilization by tubal ligation the levels of 12 unconjugated steroids and 4 steroid sulphates were analyzed in the peripheral circulation and in the venous blood draining both ovaries before and after the surgical removal of a freshly formed corpus luteum. In addition, the peripheral levels of progesterone, 20α-dihydroprogesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, oestradiol and oestrone were measured during 3 pre-operative and 3 post-operative days. The levels of pregnenolone, 17-hydroxypregnenolone, progesterone, 20α-dihydroprogesterone and cortisol were significantly higher in the venous blood draining the 'active' ovary (containing the corpus luteum) than in the blood draining the contralateral 'inactive' ovary. Furthermore, compared to the values found in the peripheral blood, the levels of pregnenolone, 17-hydroxypregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone, progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, testosterone and oestradiol were significantly higher in the blood draining both ovaries, whereas 20α-dihydroprogesterone, oestrone and cortisol levels were significantly higher only in the blood draining the 'active' ovary. Enucleation of the corpus luteum resulted in the following changes: 1) It abolished the previous differences between steroid levels of the blood draining the two ovaries, with the exception of the 20α-dihydroprogesterone levels, which remained elevated in the blood draining the ovary that previously contained the corpus luteum. 2) It diminished the levels of progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, 20α-dihydroprogesterone, androstenedione, oestradiol and oestrone and increased those of cortisol and pregnenolone sulphate in the blood draining the ovary from which the corpus luteum had been removed. 3) It decreased the peripheral levels of progesterone and oestradiol and increased those of pregnenolone, 17-hydroxypregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone, androstenedione, cortisol and pregnenolone sulphate. 4) After the removal of the corpus luteum, the levels of progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, testosterone and oestradiol remained significantly elevated in the venous blood draining both ovaries when compared to their peripheral levels. 5) The peripheral levels of progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, oestradiol and oestrone dropped to very low early follicular phase values within 24 h following the removal of the corpus luteum. In contrast, the levels of 20α-dihydroprogesterone reached early follicular phase levels only on the 3rd post-operative day. It is concluded that the most important steroids secreted by the human corpus luteum are progesterone, 20α-dihydroprogesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, oestradiol and oestrone. Some pregnenolone, 17-hydroxypregnenolone and androstenedione may also be secreted by the corpus luteum. In addition, both ovaries secrete progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, testosterone, oestradiol and probably also pregnenolone, 17-hydroxypregnenolone and dehydroepiandrosterone. The surgical stress associated with the laparotomy resulted in elevated plasma levels of a number of adrenal steroids, many of which are normally also produced by the ovaries. The presence of these steroids and of their ovarian metabolites in the venous blood draining the ovaries imposes major limitations on the interpretation of results obtained in short-term studies, unless complemented with the long-term assessment of the peripheral steroid levels.

Ovarian steroid secretion in normally menstruating women I. The contribution of the developing follicle

In 9 normally menstruating women undergoing surgical sterilization by tubal ligation the levels of a dozen steroids were measured in the blood from the peripheral and both ovarian veins before and after the enucleation of the largest follicle. In addition, the peripheral levels of progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, oestradiol and oestrone were measured during 3 pre-operative and 3 post-operative days. Compared to their levels in peripheral blood, the levels of pregnenolone, 17-hydroxypregnenolone, progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, testosterone and oestradiol were significantly higher in the blood draining both ovaries, while those of oestrone were higher only in the blood draining the 'active' ovary (containing the largest follicle) and those of dehydroepiandrosterone and cortisol only in the blood draining the contralateral 'inactive' ovary. No differences were found as far as the levels of 20α-dihydroprogesterone and dihydrotestosterone are concerned. Furthermore, a comparison of the steroid levels in the blood draining the two ovaries revealed that the levels of oestradiol and oestrone were higher in the venous blood draining the 'active' ovary and those of dehydroepiandrosterone in the blood draining the 'inactive' one. Enucleation of the largest follicle resulted in the following changes: 1) A significant drop in the peripheral oestradiol levels which was associated with a significant rise in the levels of the other steroids studied, except those of androstenedione, testosterone and oestrone, which remained unchanged. 2) Decreased levels of oestradiol and oestrone and increased levels of dihydrotestosterone and cortisol in the venous blood draining the ovary that previously contained the largest follicle. 3) No differences were any longer found in steroid levels between the blood draining the two ovaries, with the exception of cortisol levels, which were higher in the blood originating from the 'inactive' ovary. 4) The levels of 17-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, testosterone, oestradiol and oestrone were higher in the blood draining both ovaries when compared to their peripheral levels. 5) The peripheral levels of 17-hydroxyprogesterone, oestradiol and oestrone dropped to early follicular phase values within 24 h and remained at that level for at least 3 days. The results are interpreted as indicating that the principal secretory products of the largest follicle in vivo are oestradiol and oestrone. Moreover, both ovaries secrete 17-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione and testosterone and additional amounts of oestradiol, and most probably also some pregnenolone, 17-hydroxypregnenolone and progesterone. The relative contribution to the peripheral levels of 17-hydroxyprogesterone by the largest follicle as compared to that of other ovarian structures requires further investigation. It is emphasized that the stress associated with surgery gradually increases the secretion of a number of adrenal steroids, that may reach the ovaries in considerable quantities. This may render difficult the assessment of the effect of the enucleation of the largest follicle on the secretion of some steroids by the ovaries.

PROGESTERONE CONCENTRATIONS IN MATERNAL AND FOETAL BLOOD PLASMA OF EWES

SUMMARY In pregnant ewes the progesterone concentrations in plasma from the maternal jugular, ovarian (active ovary) and uterine veins and from the foetal umbilical vein were measured by a competitive protein-binding technique. Peripheral plasma levels remained fairly uniform throughout pregnancy, whereas ovarian levels dropped at about the 130th day of pregnancy. Uterine plasma levels were low until the 80th day; foetal levels rose as pregnancy progressed. The major sources of progesterone appeared to be the ovary (corpus luteum) and the uterus (placenta). The ovarian contribution was greater during the first two-thirds of pregnancy than later, whereas that made by the placenta was lower during the first one-third of pregnancy.

THE EFFECT OF EXOGENOUS PROGESTAGEN ON THE LEVELS OF FREE OESTROGEN IN THE OVARIAN VEIN PLASMA OF THE EWE

SUMMARY The levels of free oestrogen (oestrone and oestradiol-17β) in plasma in the ovarian vein were determined in three groups, each of 27 ewes, at nine intervals at about the time of oestrus. One group had a normal oestrus while the other two had been treated for 16 days with intravaginal sponges containing either 10 or 30 mg of a synthetic progestagen (Cronolone, Searle). In untreated ewes, the mean level (corrected) of oestradiol-17β in plasma from the active ovary rose from 25·3 ng/100 ml at −48 h to a peak of 91·6 ng/100 ml at 0 h (onset of oestrus) and then fell. There was evidence of biphasic production. The mean level of oestrone was relatively high (13·0 ng/100 ml) at −48 h; it fell to 2·0 ng/100 ml between −36 and −24 h and then rose again to 9·4 ng/100 ml at + 12 h. There was no significant change, with time, in the plasma levels of either oestrogen from the non-active ovary. The total amounts of oestradiol-17β and of oestrone produced from both ovaries at an oestrous period were estimated to average 9·7 and 2·4 μg. In treated ewes, a similar pattern of production of oestradiol-17β was shown by the ewes treated with 30 mg Cronolone. That of ewes treated with 10 mg differed (P < 0·01). Peak level was reached at an earlier stage, relative to the onset of oestrus, and it declined more rapidly, the total amount of oestrogen produced (oestrone + oestradiol-17β) was less (10 mg Cronolone, 8·6 μg; 30 mg Cronolone, 12·1 μg; normal oestrus, 12·1 μg), and there was no biphasic production.

Social and Experiential Influences of Nestbox-Oriented Behavior and Gonadal Activity of Female Budgerigars (Melopsittacus Und Ulat Us Shaw)

The relative influences of the following factors upon female's nestbox-oriented behavior and ovarian activity was studied in domesticated strains of budgerigars: (1) prior breeding experience, (2) the physical presence of a male, (3) typically male visible courtship behavior and (4) the presence of, and the opportunity to physically interact with, other pairs. Budgerigars are a non-nestbuilding, cavity-nesting species. The female's nestbox-oriented behavior and the various precopulatory and copulatory behaviors of both sexes were quantitatively recorded. Amounts of these per bird per hour were statistically analyzed. All females could hear all vocalizations, including courtship ones, made by 70 to 80 males. (1) In experiments concerning the relative influences of prior breeding experience and the presence of a sexually active male, the females of all experimental groups were exposed to equal amounts of male precopulatory and copulatory behaviors. Also, no group of females was more or less sexually receptive than another. In addition to hearing male vocal stimuli, interacting with a male seems to stimulate (a) more virgin females to perform nestbox-oriented behavior and lay eggs and (b) earlier oviposition by both virgin and experienced females, than does male vocal stimulation alone. Although, when caged alone, more experienced than virgin females performed nestbox-oriented behavior and laid eggs, there was no experiential difference in the speed of such reproductive responses by those females that did respond during testing. When caged with males, the number of virgin and experienced females stimulated to perform nestbox-oriented behavior and to develop an active ovary did not appreciably differ; however, experienced females showed a greater speed of such reproductive response than did virgins. (2) Prior breeding experience seems to prompt an earlier start of nestbox-oriented behavior in the presence of a male whereas the presence of a male stimulates both virgin and experienced females to begin repeated steady nestbox occupations sooner after they initially enter the box than they would when exposed only to male vocalizations. Later phases of nestbox-oriented behavior seem uninfluenced by either experiential factors or the presence of a sexually active male. Differences in the times of initial oviposition between virgin and experienced females caged either with or without a male may stem from these 2 different responses in the earlier phases of nestbox-oriented behavior elicited in experienced and virgin females by the presence of a male. (3) Comparisons of females of homosexual pairs, females of heterosexual pairs and females caged without a male indicate that it is most probably those actions performed typically by males, rather than the presence of a male per se, which promote ovarian development, ovulation and the later phases of nestbox-oriented behavior. However, the presence of a member of the opposite sex but not visible courtship actions seems to promote the initial occupation of the nestbox. (4) Additional factors accruing from placing several pairs together in a common cage which may inhibit or stimulate female nestbox-oriented behavior and ovarian development are discussed. Fewer females laid eggs or possessed a significantly developed ovary when caged together with other males and females than when caged separately with a male. This inhibitory effect of group caging conditions is most, if not solely, seen in connection with experienced females. Those which were prompted to lay eggs did so at times insignificantly different from those of females with similar prior breeding experience caged separately with a male. Experienced females, regardless of the number of other birds in the cage, laid eggs significantly sooner than did virgins.

BLOOD LEVELS OF PROGESTERONE IN THE EWE

SUMMARY Progesterone levels in the blood of ewes were assayed chemically. No progesterone was detected in blood from the jugular vein of any ewe. It was found in blood from the vein draining the active ovary during the oestrous cycle. Detectable amounts appeared on the 3rd day, and the mean concentration increased to about 1·8 μg/ml. on the 7th day. This level was maintained until the 16th day and fell to <0·15 μg/ml. on the 17th or last day of the cycle. Blood from the vein draining the active ovary during pregnancy showed a mean level similar to that reached during the oestrous cycle until about the 17th week when it gradually fell to, and remained at, <0·15 μg/ml. a few days before parturition. In blood from the vein draining the pregnant horn of the uterus, progesterone was detected in low concentrations between the 9th and 18th weeks of pregnancy in only six out of 143 cases. Considerable variation between ewes in progesterone concentration was found.

THE PROGESTERONE CONTENT OF BODY FLUIDS AND TISSUES

SUMMARY By means of a chemical assay method [Edgar, 1953], progesterone was found in blood from the vein draining an active ovary in the pregnant and non-pregnant ewe and in the non-pregnant sow. It was not found in blood from the ovarian vein of a ewe with inactive ovaries, nor in peripheral blood of the pregnant and non-pregnant ewe, mare, cow, sow, and female rabbit, nor of the castrated ram. The hormone was present in fluid from the mature Graafian follicle of the cow and sow, and in fluid from pathological ovarian cysts in the sow. The progesterone content of corpora lutea from the sheep, calf and elephant was also determined.

FACTORS IN PLASMA CONCERNED IN NATURAL RESISTANCE TO AN AVIAN MALARIA PARASITE (PLASMODIUM LOPHURAE)

The plasma of adult chickens, when injected into young chicks or chick embryos infected with Plasmodium lophurae, lessened the parasitemia. The substances responsible for this effect were inactivated or removed by the heating of adult chicken plasma for ½ hour at 65°C., followed by centrifugation to remove the coagulated material; but they were not affected by heating for ½ hour at 56°C. The active materials were present in the euglobulin fraction of hen plasma. In similar experiments with ducks, the plasma from each of a series of adult ducks was tested for its effect on the course of infection in young ducklings. The adult ducks were then inoculated with a large dose of parasites. There was a positive correlation between the effectiveness of a plasma in lessening the parasitemia of ducklings treated with it and the resistance on infection exhibited by the duck from which the plasma had been obtained. More than half of the adult female ducks with an active ovary which were tested, but only one of the males, had effective plasmas and also showed relative resistance to the infection.

Experimental Studies On The Sexual Cycle Of The South African Clawed Toad (Xenopus Laevis). III

1. Removal of the whole pituitary gland of Xenopus laevis or of the anterior lobe alone is accompanied by (a) reduced food intake, (b) diminished growth of the body as a whole, (c) retrogression of the gonads in both sexes. 2. Since there is no significant reduction in the main fat reserves of the body (corpora adiposa) the retrogression of the gonads is not the direct result of reduced food intake at an all-round lower metabolic level. 3. Since the reduction of food intake is proportionately much greater in females than in males, the metabolic demands of the gonad seems to be the controlling agency of food intake. 4. The relatively greater reduction of growth rate in females is due to the large bulk of the ovaries coupled with the fact that ovarian retrogression accompanies the lowering of growth in the rest of the body. 5. Since the food demand of the active ovary is far in excess of the minimum requisite for body growth, the results of this enquiry provide additional confirmation for the view that seasonal variations of food supply are mainly responsible for seasonal variations in the condition of the ovaries of Xenopus in its natural habitat.