7 KISSPEPTIN SLOWLY ADMINISTERED DURING PROESTRUS IMPROVES FOLLICLE GROWTH AND OVULATION IN ANESTROUS COWS

This study evaluated whether kisspeptin (Kp) administered slowly from the moment of prostaglandin F2α (PGF) treatment for fixed-time AI protocol of anestrous cows provides suitable dominant follicle (DF) growth similarly to eCG. Postpartum, anestrous, primiparous Nelore cows (n = 50;  0.05). Also, it is noted that Kp treatment dose and releasing does not cause negative effect on follicle growth and ovulation (down-regulation on LH releasing) or alteration on interval of PGF treatment to ovulation. Thus, synchronized anestrous cows treated with Kp delivered slowly during proestrus have similar results to eCG on follicle growth and ovulation. Table 1.Ovarian variables of anestrous Nelore cows treated with saline, eCG (300 IU), or kisspeptin (Kp; 9.65 μg kg–1). Data were analysed by orthogonal contrast, where C1 = growth promoter (eCG and Kp) v. control; C2 = eCG v. Kp