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BOR - Papers in Press, published online ahead of print May 11, 2005.
Biol Reprod 2005, 10.1095/biolreprod.105.040097
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BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION 73, 452–457 (2005)
DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.105.040097
© 2005 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Inc.

Ovulation-Inducing Factor in the Seminal Plasma of Alpacas and Llamas1

Gregg P. Adams 2, 3, Marcelo H. Ratto 3, Wilfredo Huanca 4, and Jaswant Singh 3

Veterinary Biomedical Sciences,3 Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 5B4 Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,4 San Marcos University, Lima 1, Peru

Studies were conducted to document the existence of an ovulation-inducing factor in the seminal plasma of alpacas (experiment 1) and llamas (experiment 2) and to determine if the effect is mediated via the pituitary (experiment 3). In experiment 1, female alpacas (n = 14 per group) were given alpaca seminal plasma or saline intramuscularly or by intrauterine infusion. Only alpacas that were given seminal plasma i.m. ovulated (13/ 14, 93%; P < 0.01). In experiment 2, ovulation was detected in 9/10 (90%) llamas at a mean of 29.3 ± 0.7 h after seminal plasma treatment. Plasma progesterone concentrations were maximal by Day 9 and were at nadir by Day 12 posttreatment. In experiment 3, female llamas were given llama seminal plasma, GnRH, or saline i.m., and ovulation was detected in 6/6, 5/ 6, and 0/6 llamas, respectively (P < 0.001). Treatment was followed by a surge (P < 0.01) in plasma LH concentration beginning 15 min and 75 min after treatment with GnRH and seminal plasma, respectively. Plasma LH remained elevated longer in the seminal plasma group (P < 0.05) and had not yet declined to pretreatment levels after 8 h. Compared with the GnRH group, corpus luteum tended to grow longer and to a greater diameter (P = 0.1) and plasma progesterone concentration was twice as high in the seminal plasma group (P < 0.01). Results document the existence of a potent factor in the seminal plasma of alpacas and llamas that elicited a surge in circulating concentrations of LH and induced an ovulatory and luteotropic response.

camelids, corpus luteum function, gonadotropin-releasing hormone, luteinizing hormone, ovary, ovulation, ovulation-inducing factor, semen

1 Supported by grants from the Canadian Llama and Alpaca Association, the Alpaca Research Foundation, and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture.

2 Correspondence: FAX: 306 966 7405; gregg.adams{at}usask.ca






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Copyright © 2005 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction.