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Biology of Reproduction, Vol 14, 572-578, Copyright © 1976 by Society for the Study of Reproduction

Hormone Levels and Corpora Lutea Cell Characteristics During Gestation in the Collared Peccary

LYLE K. SOWLS 1, NORMAN S. SMITH 1, DONALD W. HOLTAN 1, G. E. MOSS 1, , and V. LINE ESTERGREEN 1

1 Arizona Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, University of Arizona, Tucson, and Department of Animal Sciences Washington State University, Pullman 99163


Corpora lutea, ovaries, fetal placentae and blood were collected from 27 collared peccaries (Dicotyles tajacu) at known stages of gestation and the postpartum period. The tissues were analyzed for progestins by gas-liquid chromatography and the blood for progesterone by competitive protein binding radioassay. The tissue progestins identified were progesterone, 20agr-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one (20agr-OH-P), and 20beta-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one (20beta-OH-P) and the ratio of relative abundance was 50:3:1, respectively.

There was no significant difference in concentration of total luteal progestins throughout gestation, however, total micrograms of luteal progestins and weight of corpora lutea were both significantly higher (P<0.05) at 80 days than either 20 or 140 days gestation. The concentration of progesterone was significantly higher (P<0.05) at 140 days than at 20 days whereas the concentration of 20agr-OH-P was significantly higher (P<0.05) at 20 than at 100 and 120 days. Steroid concentrations in nonluteal ovarian tissue were 2-24 percent of those in luteal tissue from the same ovary. Placentae from 13 animals obtained at days 60 to 139 averaged 0.1 µg/g progesterone and 0.05 µg/g 20agr-OH-P. Plasma progesterone did not differ (P>.10) from 20 to 140 days of gestation and had a mean (± SE) of 34.2 ± 2.8 ng/ml.

The cross sectional area from sections of luteal cells remained relatively constant from the beginning until the end of gestation. The area of luteal cells without cytoplasmic vacuolation increased and was positively correlated with stage of gestation from 60 to 140 days. Regressed luteal cells varied in number until after parturition when they increased greatly. Vascular tissue or spaces decreased markedly after parturition. The cross sectional area of connective tissue was not significantly different during the gestation period.

There was a gradual but insignificant increase in the mean maximum diameter of luteal cells as gestation progressed to 80 days, after which a decrease in diameter to 120 days and then a significant increase in size at 140 days. The size of the luteal cells was significantly correlated with the progesterone content of luteal tissue, but not with the total weight of luteal tissue.

Note:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The study reported here has been financed by The University of Arizona. The Arizona Game and Fish Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Wildlife Management Institute. We thank The American Philosophical Society for a grant to make possible the chemical analyses of hormones. We thank the many members of the field staff of The Arizona Game and Fish Department for bringing us young confiscated peccaries for use in our study. For help in caring for the animals and assisting with the slaughter of animals we are grateful to Steve Dobrott. We are grateful to R. E. Reed, D.V.M. and Sophia Kaluzniocki, D.V.M. of The University of Arizona who performed vasectomies on boars used in these experiments. Also we wish to thank Ms. Mardi Wolford of The University of Arizona for preparing slides for histological study.

Submitted on October 31, 1975
Accepted on January 26, 1976






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Copyright © 1976 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction.