Anti-Mülerian hormone in mares: relationship with age, reproductive seasonality and ovarian follicular reserve.

• Grant number: 14/13777-6
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: November 01, 2015
• End date: April 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Reproduction
• Principal Investigator: Marco Antonio Alvarenga
• Grantee: Marco Antonio Alvarenga
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The decline in female reproductive function occurs with advancing age, due to reduced pool of ovarian follicles and the decrease in quality of oocytes. The evaluation of reproductive life expectancy and the precise measurement of ovarian reserve have been sought for long time. Because of the difficulty in accessing the pool of oocytes/remaining follicles in the ovaries, several hormonal markers were proposed for predicting ovarian reserve, such as the hormones FSH, LH, progesterone, inhibin and estrogen, but none of them was able to produce reliable information on the existing follicle pool in the ovary. It is known that serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) decrease with age due to the decline in the number of follicles present in the ovaries and, therefore, AMH is considered the most accurate measure of ovarian reserve in human medicine. Just as in humans, the equine species have several hormonal, follicular, ovarian and uterine factors which may lead to reduced fertility and cyclicality in old mares, causing great economic loss. Many of these factors are still unknown, among them disorders of ovarian origin stand out. Thus, the objective of this study is to assess ovarian physiological factors that may affect the fertility of old mares. Experiments will be conducted to study the relationship of serum AMH levels with age, the effect of ovariectomy on AMH serum levels, AMH expression and its receptors in follicles of young and old mares, the relationship between AMH serum levels and ovarian follicular reserve, and the influence of reproductive seasonality on AMH production. The potential and increasing use of AMH is clear, and so that future studies can be conducted in order to evaluate the reproductive life expectancy of mares, it is necessary a standard reference, aiming at make its adoption in clinical practice possible. Apparently there is no doubt that research with AMH will intensify in the coming years. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ULIANI, RENATA C.; CONLEY, ALAN J.; CORBIN, C. JO; FRISO, AIME M.; MACIEL, LUCIANA F. S.; ALVARENGA, MARCO A.. Anti-Mullerian hormone and ovarian aging in mares. Journal of Endocrinology, v. 240, n. 2, p. 147-156, FEB 2019. (15/01113-9, 14/13777-6, 14/13191-1)