Effect of administration of porcine follicular fluid to gilts during the luteal phase of the estrous cycle on plasma gonadotropins, follicular development, and ovulation rate.

Eighty gilts were assigned randomly to receive twice daily i.v. injections of either 5 mL of steroid-reduced porcine follicular fluid (pFF) or .15 M saline (S) to evaluate the effects of suppression of FSH before, during, and 1 d after induced luteolysis on d 13 (d 0 = onset of estrus) on development of medium and large follicles during the follicular phase and subsequent ovulation rate. Ovaries were recovered and assessed for numbers of corpora albicantia (CA) and medium (NMF, 3 to 6.9 mm) and large (NLF, > 6.9 mm) follicles on d 13, 15, and 17 of the estrous cycle and number of corpora lutea (CL) in the group assigned to be examined after ovulation. Gilts assigned to the postovulatory group were bled at 12-h intervals from d 9.5 through 17. Administration of pFF suppressed concentrations of FSH during treatment with pFF (pFF, .38 +/- .02 vs S, .52 +/- .02 ng/mL, P < .05) and reduced NMF on d 13 (pFF, 17.3 +/- 4.0 vs S, 45.8 +/- 4.0, P < .01) and d 15 (28.1 +/- 4.0 vs 38.7 +/- 4.2, P < .05). The NMF declined markedly between d 15 and 17 in control gilts but not in pFF-treated gilts; pFF and S gilts had achieved similar NMF on d 17 (pFF, 23.1 +/- 4.0 vs S, 21.3 +/- 4.2). Large follicles were first observed on d 17 and were reduced substantially by prior treatment with pFF (pFF, 6.7 +/- 1.4 vs S, 12.4 +/- 1.5, P < .05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)