Macedonian Veterinary Review

Original Scientific Article

Histological feature of ovarian structures throughout the reproductive cycle in alpine goats (Capra hircus)

Debora Groppetti * ,

Alessandro Pecile ,

Stefano Frattini ,

Giulio Pagnacco ,

Silvana Arrighi

Mac Vet Rev 2019; 42 (1): 23 - 34

10.2478/macvetrev-2018-0027

Received: 04 February 2018

Received in revised form: 17 May 2018

Accepted: 27 August 2018

Available Online First: 03 November 2018

Published on: 15 March 2019

Correspondence: Debora Groppetti, debora.groppetti@unimi.it

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Abstract

The knowledge about ovarian physiology in small ruminants is still limited, especially when compared to other domestic species. Ovarian function in goats is mainly assessed by ultrasonographic techniques, whereas a quali-quantitative feature of the follicular and luteal structures throughout the reproductive cycle in naturally cycling goats is scarce. This study provides a detailed description of the functional morphology and size of 742 ovarian structures (follicles, corpora hemorrhagica and corpora lutea) in relation to the oestrus phase, the body weight and the age of 25 Alpine goats (Capra hircus). The current study demonstrated that, the number and size of the follicles were related to the stage of the reproductive cycle (P < 0.0001). Also, the mean number of follicles was high during both prepubertal anestrus and diestrus, whereas it was low in the oestrus. Large (3-4 mm in diameter) and very large follicles (> 4 mm) (P < 0.001), and small follicles (< 2 mm; P < 0.05) varied throughout the reproductive cycle, while medium follicles (2-3 mm) were invariably observed. Large and very large follicles were predominant during the diestrus phase and small follicles in the prepubertal anestrus. It is evident from the current study that the number of follicles (P < 0.05) was significantly affected with both body weight and age. On the other hand, the size of follicles was significantly affected with body weight only (P < 0.0001). These results could contribute to a deeper understanding of ovarian transformations with important implications in assisted reproductive technologies, thereby concurring in advancing the efficiency of ultrasound in breeding programs for this species.

Keywords: goat, ovary, histology, reproductive cycle

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Copyright

© 2018 Groppetti D. This is an open-access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Acknowledgment

Authors wish to thank Dr. Mario Villa for sanitary supervision of the herd, Prof. Davide Pravettoni for the support in killing animals, Dr. Pietro Riccaboni for conducting the autopsies and helping during sample collection, Dr. Giampaolo Bosi for technical assistance in histology and histometry. Grant sponsor: GENHOME Project by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR), 2012.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declared that they have no potential conflict of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

Citation Information

Macedonian Veterinary Review. Volume 42, Issue 1, Pages 23-34, p-ISSN 1409-7621, e-ISSN 1857-7415, DOI: 10.2478/macvetrev-2018-0027, 2018