Nitric oxide synthases (NOS) account for the endogenous production of nitric oxide (NO), a small and permeable bioreactive molecule. NO is known to act as a paracrine mediator during various processes associated with female reproduction. In the present study, the mRNA expression of the endothelial (eNOS) and inducible (iNOS) NO synthases were examined in bovine oviduct epithelial cells (BOEC) d...

BACKGROUND The moose (Alces alces) is an intensively managed keystone species in Fennoscandia. Several aspects of reproduction in moose have not been fully elucidated, including puberty, timing of mating and oestrus, and the length of the oestrus period. These aspects are relevant for an adaptive management of moose with respect to harvest, population size, demography and environmental conditio...

Hormonal asynchronies during oestrus, related to the presence of suprabasal plasma-progesterone (P4) concentrations and a delayed ovulation, interfere with the fertility of repeat-breeder heifers (RBH). Since tubal dysfunction can occur in connection with hormonal asynchronies and constrained availability of fertile spermatozoa at the time of ovulation, the present study tested the hypothesis t...

Full signalling of oestrous behaviour is vital for proper timing of AI and good reproductive performance, currently jeopardized by shorter observations of oestrus behaviour. Alternative indicators including progesterone (P(4)) recordings on-farm are tested. Oestrous intensity of 37 heifers (H) and 30 1st-parity dairy cows (C(1)) either Swedish Red (32) or Swedish Holstein (35) with high genetic...

The endometrium plays a central role among the reproductive tissues in the context of early embryo-maternal communication and pregnancy. It undergoes typical changes during the sexual/oestrous cycle, which are regulated by the ovarian hormones progesterone and oestrogen. To identify the underlying molecular mechanisms we have performed the first holistic screen of transcriptome changes in bovin...

This review describes the role of boar stimuli in receptive behaviour, and the influence of boar stimuli during the follicular phase. Receptive behaviour (standing response) in an oestrous sow is elicited by boar stimuli, which can be olfactory, auditory, tactile, or visual. The relative importance of these stimuli is not clear. Individually, olfactory and tactile stimuli elicit a standing resp...

THE epithelium of the cervix and upper vagina of the cow and certain other animals produces a mucous secretion in which, according to Woodman & Hammond [1925], may be found a mucoprotein belonging to the class of mucin bodies containing mucoitin sulphuric acid, since they identified glucosamine in a specimen of cervical mucus. The chemical composition of this secretion does not appear to have b...

Neonatal female rats were injected ip (0.1 ml/rat) with Tween 80 in 1, 5 or 10% aqueous solution on days 4-7 after birth. Treatment with Tween 80 accelerated maturation, prolonged the oestrus cycle, and induced persistent vaginal oestrus. The relative weight of the uterus and ovaries was decreased relative to the untreated controls. Squamous cell metaplasia of the epithelial lining of the uteru...

At 6-7 weeks of age the olfactory bulbs were removed from gilts which were then exposed to vasectomized boars for 30 min/day, starting on Day 160. Mean +/- s.e.m. age at first oestrus was similar in these gilts (230 +/- 15 days) to that in intact gilts not exposed to a boar (234 +/- 8 days) but greater (P < 0.05) than for sham- and un-operated gilts exposed to a boar (204 +/- 3 and 208 +/- 9 da...

The development of more efficient and cost-effective oestrous detection techniques for cattle depends on a thorough understanding of the changes in behaviour and physiology of the female during its oestrous cycle. Variability in the expression of oestrous behaviours both between individuals and over successive oestrous cycles complicates this process. This review considers many of the biologica...