Global warming poses significant challenges to the fertility of tropical dairy cattle. One promising approach to mitigate heat stress effects on reproductive function and reduce the carbon footprint is the use of integrated livestock-forest (ILF) systems. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of two different systems, namely Full Sun (FS) and ILF, on maternal hyperthermia and oocyte quality of Holstein and Girolando heifers during the tropical summer season.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aimed to assess the cortisol, body and reproductive development of prepubertal Holstein and Holstein-Gir ¾ heifers at 27 months of age maintained in an integrated livestock-forest (ILF) system for 60 summer days compared to the monoculture system in full sun (FS). The ILF system promoted changes (=0.02) in the cortisol levels of Holstein-Gir ¾ heifers and did not affect weight gain in any of the breed groups studied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study evaluated the effect of crude protein (CP) reduction in four diets (156, 139, 132, and 127 g Kg DM) maintaining constant metabolizable protein (188 g/day) on the follicular fluid and cumulus-oocyte complexes of mid-lactating Girolando cows. Twenty-two Girolando cows with average of 21.55 ±3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReprod Domest Anim
October 2019
This study investigated the influence of heat shock during in vitro maturation on embryo development following in vitro fertilization (IVF) or parthenogenesis (Part). Immature bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes were exposed to heat shock (41.0°C) during the first 12 hr of in vitro maturation (IVM), followed by 12 hr at 38.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is an important molecule in signal transduction within the cell, functioning as a second cell messenger of gonadotrophin stimulation. The concentration of cAMP in cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) is known to be controlled through modulation of its synthesis by adenylyl cyclase (AC) and by degradation through the cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzymes. One of the main obstacles for in vitro embryo production is the optimization of reproduction processes that occur in oocyte maturation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnim Reprod
August 2018
Holstein-Gyr crossbred cattle are strategic for dairy systems in tropical countries, since they combine milk yield genetics with adaptability to tropical climate. However, Holstein () and Gyr () breeds present remarkable differences regarding reproductive physiology. Brazil stands out as the world's largest user of embryo production (IVP) in bovine, and the use of this technique is increasing in dairy systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of culture media and stage of development in the osmotic ability of in vitro-fertilized bovine embryos and the expression of aquaporin 3 (Aqp3) and Na/K ATPase isoform 1 (ATPAse1) genes in embryos (i) with different ability to undergo rehydration and (ii) following vitrification. In experiment 1, in vitro fertilized presumptive zygotes were co-cultured in SOFaac or modified CR2aa medium and embryos at blastocyst and expanded blastocyst stages at day 7 post-insemination were exposed to NaCl hypertonic medium (900 mOsm) for 5 min following 120 min of culture in isotonic medium in order to evaluate dehydration and rehydration, respectively. No difference (P>0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF