Effect of hormonal supplementation with progestins in the development of the neonate foal immune response

• Grant number: 11/23120-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: April 01, 2012
• End date: March 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Reproduction
• Principal Investigator: Claudio Alvarenga de Oliveira
• Grantee: Ana Carolina Rusca Correa Porto
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Neonate foals are particularly susceptible to bacterial infections, such as rodococosis, due to deficiencies in neonatal immune system. However, the mechanism leading to this deficiency remains poorly understood. In the maternal-fetal environment are produced cytokines that influence the immune system of the fetus and later, the newborn. This results in modulation of the Th2-type immune response and may increased susceptibility to infections caused by intracellular microorganisms. Since the fetus is exposed to high concentrations of progesterone during pregnancy it is believed that this hormone is partly responsible for regulating the immune response pattern of the fetus. The use of hormonal supplementation in mares has become a routine in stables and in equine reproduction centers, however the implications of using such formulations on health and the foal's immune system have not been considered. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether hormone supplementation of pregnant mares with progestins alter the serum concentration of steroid hormones in the last 3 months of pregnancy and the influence on the development of the foal's immune response after birth.

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)

ANA CAROLINA RUSCA CORREA PORTO; MARIANA ABREU REDOAN; CRISTINA OLIVEIRA MASSOCO; PRISCILA VIAU FURTADO; CLAUDIO ALVARENGA OLIVEIRA. Additional effects using progestins in mares on levels of thyroid hormones and steroids in neonates. Animal Reproduction, v. 20, n. 4, 2023-12-18. (11/23120-6)