Evaluation of Anogenital Distance and Anti-Müllerian Hormone Plasmatic Concentration as Potential Phenotypes to Predict Reproductive Performance in Holstein Heifers
L. VidalJacobo ÁlvarezUxía YáñezJ. CaínzosRodrigo MuíñoJuan José Becerra GonzálezAna I. PeñaLuis Ángel Quintela AriasPedro J. García Herradón
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Anogenital distance (AGD) is a marker of the degree of prenatal exposure to androgens in multiple species, and it has been suggested that there is an inverse association between AGD and fertility. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of AGD and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentrations, an indirect marker of the follicular population, as predictors of future reproductive potential in Holstein cattle. The AGD was measured in 566 females from 9 dairy farms in Galicia (Spain). A group of 172 females underwent a second measurement 9 months after. Additionally, data on the age at first insemination (1stAI age), number of AI (AI-PREG), age at first pregnancy (1stPREG age), age at first calving (1stCAL age), and calving-pregnancy (CAL-PREG) and calving-calving (CAL-CAL) intervals were collected. Blood samples were collected from 80 heifers to determine AMH concentrations. Our results showed that AGD varied minimally with age, and that cows with short AGD had earlier 1stAI age, 1stPREG age, and 1stCAL age (Keywords:
Anogenital distance
Anti-Müllerian hormone
Anogenital distance (AGD) is a marker of the degree of prenatal exposure to androgens in multiple species, and it has been suggested that there is an inverse association between AGD and fertility. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of AGD and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentrations, an indirect marker of the follicular population, as predictors of future reproductive potential in Holstein cattle. The AGD was measured in 566 females from 9 dairy farms in Galicia (Spain). A group of 172 females underwent a second measurement 9 months after. Additionally, data on the age at first insemination (1stAI age), number of AI (AI-PREG), age at first pregnancy (1stPREG age), age at first calving (1stCAL age), and calving-pregnancy (CAL-PREG) and calving-calving (CAL-CAL) intervals were collected. Blood samples were collected from 80 heifers to determine AMH concentrations. Our results showed that AGD varied minimally with age, and that cows with short AGD had earlier 1stAI age, 1stPREG age, and 1stCAL age (
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Background and Aims: Maternal exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like compounds has been related to adverse health outcomes in infants (Halldorsson et al 2009). The toxicity of these compounds is mostly traced to their blocking of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) in part by modulating estrogen and androgen signaling (Carlson et al 2002). In animals, anogenital distance is used as a measure of fetal androgen action, tracks through life and varies by dose of antiandrogen (Longnecker et al2007). Although anogenital distance is scarcely used in human studies, results show that prenatal phthalate exposure decreases male anogenital distance ( Swan et al 2005). We evaluated the association between in-utero exposure to dioxins and dioxin like compounds, using the DR-Calux bioassay and anogenital distance in newborns of the Rhea birth cohort in Crete. Methods: Anogenital distance (AGD: anus to upper penis), anoscrotal distance (ASD: anus to scrotum) and penis width (PW) were measured in 64 boys. Anoclitoral (ACD: anus to clitoris) and anofourchetal distance (AFD: anus to fourchette) were measured in 62 girls. Ratios of anogenital distances divided by body weight were calculated. Maternal blood samples were collected at delivery and dioxin-like activity was measured in plasma using the DR-CALUX bioassay. Results: Anogenital distances were wider in males (mean AGD= 50,46mm) than females (mean ACD=35,03mm). Plasma dioxin-like activity was negatively associated with AGD in males. The estimated change in AGD per 10 pg CALUX-TEQ/g lipid increase was -1.12mm (95%CI:-2.12,-0.12) and -0.39 mm/kg for the AGD weight ratio (95%CI:-0.74,-0.05) after adjusting for potential confounders. Negative but not statistically significant associations were observed for ASD and PW; no associations were found for ACD or AFD in females. Conclusions: Male infants may be susceptible to endocrine-disrupting effects of dioxins. This is the first study that appears to replicate in humans, experimental animal evidence used by WHO/FAO for setting recommendations on human dioxin intake.
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The present study was conducted on 91 Tharparkar cows maintained at the Livestock Research Station, Beechwal, Bikaner for 11 years i.e. from 2006 to 2016. The data were analysed with the objective of performance appraisal of Tharparkar cattle with respect to production traits and to study the effect of genetic factor i.e. sire group and non genetic factors i.e. period and season of calving on production traits. The overall least-squares means for first lactation milk yield (FLMY), first lactation length (FLL), first lactation dry period (FDP), lactation milk yield per day of first lactation length (LMY/FLL) and lactation milk yield per day of first calving interval (LMY/FCI) were found to be 1832.99±42.43 kg, 283.65±7.65 days, 148.14±6.05 days, 6.18±0.14 kg/day and 4.03±0.12 kg/day. The effect of sire was found to be significant on first lactation production traits. The Period of calving had significant effect on FLL and LMY/FCI, while season of calving had no significant effect on first lactation production traits. The AFC had significant effect on FLMY and FLL.
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BACKGROUNDAnimal models of endocrine dysfunction have associated male genital defects with reduced anogenital distance (AGD). Human studies have correlated shorter AGD with exposure to putative endocrine disruptors in the environment but have not examined AGD in hypospadiac boys. We measured AGD in boys with hypospadias and those with normal genitals.
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Abstract Background Measurement of rat anogenital distance (AGD) dates to at least 1912. Increased interest in endocrine disrupting chemicals and the use of AGD as a biomarker for fetal androgen effects have increased the number of studies with this endpoint in recent decades. A literature review revealed different landmarks, methods of measurement, and methods to adjust for body weight differences. AGD is often reported to hundredths of millimeters and as such, deserves precision in all these aspects. This paper presents recommendations for the measurement and analysis of rodent AGD. Methods Literature and regulatory guidance documents that mentioned or measured rodent AGD were reviewed. Four adjustment methods were evaluated using available online data from three rat studies each with two generations of offspring. Results Tabulation of studies reveals that species/stocks and time of data collection, but more importantly anatomical landmarks and methods of measurement have produced a variety of results which are difficult to compare. Not all studies have adjusted for test article effects on body weight (and thus size). The four adjustment methods were fairly comparable. Conclusion Recommendations are as follows. A microscopic method should be used to measure AGD of late rodent fetuses and early postnatal pups. The caudal edge of the genital tubercle and the cranial edge of the anus are clear and identifiable landmarks. The simplest adjustment is to divide individual AGDs by the cube root of animals’ body weight. These recommendations will help ensure data consistency and accuracy, and facilitate meaningful comparisons across laboratories and chemical classes.
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Do sex and maternal smoking effects on human fetal anogenital distance (AGD) persist in a larger study and how do these data integrate with the wider literature on perinatal human AGD, especially with respect to sex differences? Second trimester sex differences in AGD are broadly consistent with neonatal and infant measures of AGD and maternal cigarette smoking is associated with a temporary increase in male AGD in the absence of changes in circulating testosterone. AGD is a biomarker of fetal androgen exposure, a reduced AGD in males being associated with cryptorchidism, hypospadias and reduced penile length. Normative fetal AGD data remain partial and windows of sensitivity of human fetal AGD to disruption are not known. The effects of fetal sex and maternal cigarette smoking on the second trimester (11–21 weeks of gestation) human fetal AGD were studied, along with measurement of testosterone and testicular transcripts associated with apoptosis and proliferation. AGD, measured from the centre of the anus to the posterior/caudal root of penis/clitoris (AGDapp) was determined in 56 female and 70 male morphologically normal fetuses. These data were integrated with current literature on perinatal AGD in humans. At 11–13 weeks of gestation male fetal AGDapp was 61% (P< 0.001) longer than in females, increasing to 70% at 17–21 weeks. This sexual dimorphism was independent of growth characteristics (fetal weight, length, gonad weight). We confirmed that at 14–16 weeks of gestation male fetal AGDapp was increased 28% (P < 0.05) by in utero cigarette smoke exposure. Testosterone levels were not affected by smoking. To develop normative data, our findings have been integrated with available data from in vivo ultrasound scans and neonatal studies. Inter-study variations in male/female AGD differences lead to the conclusion that normalization and standardization approaches should be developed to enable confidence in comparing data from different perinatal AGD studies. Sex differences, and a smoking-dependent increase in male fetal AGD at 14–16 weeks, identified in a preliminary study, were confirmed with a larger number of fetuses. However, human fetal AGD should, be re-assessed once much larger numbers of fetuses have been studied and this should be integrated with more detailed analysis of maternal lifestyle. Direct study of human fetal genital tissues is required for further mechanistic insights. Fetal exposure to cigarette smoke chemicals is known to lead to reduced fertility in men and women. Integration of our data into the perinatal human AGD literature shows that more work needs to be done to enable reliable inter-study comparisons. The study was supported by grants from the Chief Scientist Office (Scottish Executive, CZG/1/109 & CZG/4/742), NHS Grampian Endowments (08/02), the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no 212885 and the Medical Research Council, UK (MR/L010011/1). The authors declare they have no competing interests, be it financial, personal or professional.
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The research was conducted on 78 lactation records of 78 Deoni cows over three years to analyze the effect of non-genetic factors on lactation performance traits. Data of lactation records were analyzed to determine the effect of age, parity, a period of calving and season of calving on lactation traits, viz., lactation milk yield (LMY), peak milk yield (PMY), lactation length (LL) and persistency of lactation. The findings revealed that age group and parity had a significant (p ≤0.05) effect on lactation milk yield, but not the period of calving and season of calving. Further, only the parity had a significant (P≤0.05) effect on peak milk yield of Deoni cattle but not the age group, period of calving, and season of calving. The other two traits, namely lactation length, and persistence was not influenced significantly by any the non-genetic factors evaluated in Deoni cattle.
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Anogenital distance in animals is used as a measure of fetal androgen action. Prenatal exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like compounds in rodents causes reproductive changes in male offspring and decreases anogenital distance.
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