Early Prediction of Corpus Luteum Functionality Using an Imaging Software

Angela Salzano; Marco Russo; Giuseppe Anglani; Francesca Licitra; Gianluigi Zullo; Alessio Cotticelli; Gerardo Fatone; Giuseppe Campanile

doi:10.3389/fvets.2020.00299

Early Prediction of Corpus Luteum Functionality Using an Imaging Software

Front Vet Sci. 2020 Jun 18:7:299. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00299. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Angela Salzano¹, Marco Russo¹, Giuseppe Anglani¹, Francesca Licitra², Gianluigi Zullo¹, Alessio Cotticelli¹, Gerardo Fatone¹, Giuseppe Campanile¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
² Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Palermo, Italy.

Abstract

The present study aimed to assess the applicability of luteal blood flow data acquired through the use of color Doppler ultrasonography and a post-processing analysis tool (ImageJ) for predicting pregnancy in buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis). The experiment was carried out on 59 multiparous Italian Mediterranean buffaloes that underwent synchronization of estrus and fixed-time artificial insemination (TAI). Corpus luteum features (size: CLS and blood flow: BFA) were taken from Day 5 to 10 after TAI and retrospectively measured with ImageJ. In the same period, blood samples were taken to assess progesterone (P₄) concentrations. Pregnancy diagnosis was carried out on Day 45 by ultrasound and confirmed on Day 70 post-TAI. Differences in CLS, BFA, and P₄ concentrations from Day 5 to 10 after TAI measured between groups were analyzed by ANOVA repeated measures as were differences within each day of measuring. Buffaloes that established a pregnancy (n = 29; 55%) had larger CLS (2.2 ± 0.1 vs. 1.9 ± 0.1 cm²; P < 0.01), higher BFA (0.6 ± 0.0 vs. 0.4 ± 0.0 cm²; P < 0.01), and higher P₄ blood level (1.8 ± 0.1 vs. 1.4 ± 0.1; P < 0.01) during Day 5-10 as compared to not-pregnant buffaloes (n = 22). Throughout the entire period, the first feature that changed between groups was P₄ blood concentration at Day 7 (1.7 ± 0.1 vs. 1.2 ± 0.1; P < 0.05) followed by BFA at Day 8 (0.6 ± 0.0 vs. 0.5 ± 0.0; P < 0.05), respectively, in pregnant and not-pregnant animals. The ROC analyses indicated that P₄ was able to predict pregnancy since Day 5 (P < 0.05) although a more reliable result could be obtained from Day 8 (P < 0.01). At Day 10, it was possible to set a cutoff value for every parameter taken into account. The logistic regression analysis showed that pregnancy was positively influenced by P₄ concentration (odds ratio 534.127; P < 0.01) and BFA (odds ratio 744.893; P < 0.01). In conclusion, the use of color Doppler ultrasonography, together with ImageJ, identified different patterns of BFA between pregnant and not-pregnant buffaloes starting from Day 8 post-TAI.

Keywords: blood flow area; buffaloes; corpus luteum; pregnancy diagnosis; progesterone.