Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #354302
Research Project: Biophotonics - The Application of Novel Imaging Methodologies to Livestock Production Research

Location: Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit

Title: Hepatic steroid inactivating enzymes, hepatic portal blood flow and corpus luteum blood perfusion in cattle

Author
item HART, CAITLIN - Mississippi State University
item VOELZ, BENJAMIN - Mississippi State University
item BROCKUS, KATELYN - Mississippi State University
item LEMLEY, CALEB - Mississippi State University

Submitted to: Reproduction in Domestic Animals
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/26/2018
Publication Date: 3/14/2018
Citation: Hart, C., Voelz, B., Brockus, K., Lemley, C. 2018. Hepatic steroid inactivating enzymes, hepatic portal blood flow and corpus luteum blood perfusion in cattle. Reproduction of Domestic Animals. 53:751-758.

Interpretive Summary: Progesterone is required for the maintenance of pregnancy as it blocks uterine contractions from occurring until parturition. In cattle, pregnancy wastage may be due to decreased concentrations of progesterone. Both production from the ovary and/or liver inactivation impact peripheral concentrations of progesterone. Therefore, our primary objective was to examine liver steroid inactivating enzymes, liver blood flow and luteal ovarian blood perfusion at 10 days post-insemination in pregnant versus non-pregnant beef and dairy cows. Liver steroid inactivating enzymes were not different between pregnancy and non-pregnant cattle; however, liver blood flow and ovarian blood perfusion was altered depending on pregnancy status. The current study highlights the importance of developing novel techniques to screen reproductive tract blood flow as an indicator of female fertility.

Technical Abstract: Production from the corpus luteum (CL) and/or hepatic steroid inactivation impacts peripheral concentrations of P4, which can alter reproductive performance. Our primary objective was to examine hepatic steroid inactivating enzymes, portal blood flow, and luteal blood perfusion at 10 days post-insemination in pregnant versus non-pregnant beef and dairy cows. Twenty early lactation Holstein cows and 20 lactating commercial beef cows were utilized for this study. At day 10 post-insemination, hepatic portal blood flow and CL blood perfusion were measured via Doppler ultrasonography. Liver biopsies were collected and frozen for later determination of cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A), 2C (CYP2C), 3A (CYP3A), uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) and aldo-keto reductase 1C (AKR1C) activities. Pregnancy was determined at day 30 post-insemination and treatment groups were retrospectively assigned as pregnant or non-pregnant. Data were analyzed using the mixed procedure of SAS. Steroid metabolizing enzyme activity was not different (p > .10) between pregnant versus non-pregnant beef or dairy cows. Hepatic portal blood flow tended (p < .10) to be increased in pregnant versus non-pregnant dairy cows. Luteal blood perfusion was increased (p < .05) in pregnant versus non-pregnant dairy cows. Pregnant dairy cows appear to have an increased rate of hepatic clearance of P4 in combination with increased synthesis from the CL. This could account for the lack of difference in peripheral P4 concentrations between pregnant and non-pregnant dairy cows. This study highlights the relevance of further investigation into steroid secretion and inactivation and their impact on the maintenance of pregnancy in cattle.