School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia.
PLoS One. 2019 Apr 8;14(4):e0214734. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214734. eCollection 2019.
Hormonal assessment tools are important for determining the reproductive success of production animals. This study used non-invasive wool assessment to quantify changes in progesterone and cortisol levels in reproducing female merino sheep. Wool samples were collected from a group of n = 46 maiden merino ewes (22-25 months old), naturally joined under natural light conditions in southern New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Three shearing opportunities were conducted as part of standard on-farm management practices. The wool samples were collected at three different dates during 2017, January (prior to rams being put out with the mob and to provide a baseline level since previous shearing in May 2016), September (during very late stages of gestation-approximately 2 weeks prior to parturition) and December (ewes had given birth and ~2-month-old lambs were at foot). Analysis of cortisol and progesterone was conducted concurrently from the same sample of wool. The hormones in wool samples quantified using commercially available cortisol and progesterone enzyme-immunoassay kits. Wool cortisol concentrations increased significantly (p = 3.04E-14) from pre-joining in January (1.33±0.12 ng/g) to late gestation in September (3.59±0.12 ng/g). Concentration of wool cortisol post-lambing in December (3.27±0.14 ng/g) did not decline significantly (p = 0.124) after gestation however remained significantly higher (p = 3.82E-10) than pre-joining levels. Wool progesterone (PG) concentrations increased significantly (p = 1.83E-33) from pre-joining (0.04±0.005 ng/g) in January to late gestation in September (5.53±0.13 ng/g) with a significant (p = 5.44E-59) decline observed in December (0.05±0.003 ng/g) to post- pregnancy concentrations. No significant difference was shown between pre-joining and post lambing PG concentrations (p = 0.057). Our results showed that non-invasive assessment of hormones in Merino sheep wool reflected significant increase in both cortisol and progesterone guided by pregnancy.
激素评估工具对于确定生产动物的繁殖成功至关重要。本研究使用非侵入性羊毛评估来量化繁殖母绵羊中孕酮和皮质醇水平的变化。从一组 n = 46 只初产美利奴母羊（22-25 月龄）中采集羊毛样本，这些母羊在澳大利亚新南威尔士州（NSW）南部的自然光条件下自然交配。作为标准农场管理实践的一部分，进行了三次剪毛。2017 年 1 月（在公羊与羊群一起放牧之前，并提供自 2016 年 5 月上次剪毛以来的基线水平）、9 月（在妊娠晚期-大约在分娩前 2 周）和 12 月（母羊已分娩，约 2 月龄羔羊在脚边）采集了三次羊毛样本。同时对同一羊毛样本进行了皮质醇和孕酮的分析。使用市售的皮质醇和孕酮酶免疫试剂盒定量分析羊毛样本中的激素。从 1 月的交配前（1.33±0.12ng/g）到 9 月的妊娠晚期，羊毛中的皮质醇浓度显著增加（p = 3.04E-14）（3.59±0.12ng/g）。12 月产后的羊毛皮质醇浓度（3.27±0.14ng/g）在妊娠后没有显著下降（p = 0.124），但仍显著高于交配前的水平（p = 3.82E-10）。羊毛孕酮（PG）浓度从 1 月的交配前（0.04±0.005ng/g）显著增加（p = 1.83E-33）至 9 月的妊娠晚期（5.53±0.13ng/g），12 月观察到显著下降（p = 5.44E-59）至产后浓度（0.05±0.003ng/g）。产后和交配前的 PG 浓度之间没有显著差异（p = 0.057）。我们的研究结果表明，美利奴绵羊羊毛中激素的非侵入性评估反映了皮质醇和孕酮的显著增加，这是由妊娠指导的。
