Plasma anti-Müllerian hormone concentration as a predictive endocrine marker for selection of donor lambs to improve success in juvenile in vitro embryo transfer programs

Reprod Fertil Dev. 2020 Feb;32(4):383-391. doi: 10.1071/RD18498.

Abstract

The use of juvenile invitro embryo transfer (JIVET) is limited by variation between prepubertal lambs in ovarian response to exogenous gonadotrophins. In cattle, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a predictive endocrine marker of antral follicle count. In this study we measured plasma AMH concentrations in lambs at 3 and 5 weeks of age and determined associations between AMH concentrations and ovarian response to gonadotrophins and invitro blastocyst production at 6-8 weeks of age in a JIVET program. At 5 weeks, AMH (n=38) was positively correlated with surface antral follicle count (r=0.87, P<0.001), blastocysts produced (r=0.92, P<0.001) and blastocysts produced as a proportion of oocytes collected (r=0.44, P<0.01) or cleaved (r=0.43, P<0.01). Similar associations were observed between AMH at 3 weeks (n=30) and follicle number (r=0.70, P<0.05) and blastocysts produced (r=0.87, P<0.05). Lambs with high (>2.2ngmL-1) compared with medium (0.4-2.2ngmL-1) and low (<0.4ngmL-1) AMH at 5 weeks had more antral follicles (mean (±s.e.m.) 118.7±13.9 vs 68.2±8.1 and 30.4±12.3 respectively; P<0.05) and more blastocysts produced (mean (±s.e.m.) 54.9±6.9 vs 18.9±4.0 and 7.5±6.1 respectively; P<0.05). These results suggest that AMH concentration at 5 weeks of age can be used to select donor lambs which enhance the success of JIVET programs.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Age Factors
  • Animals
  • Anti-Mullerian Hormone / blood*
  • Biomarkers / blood
  • Blastocyst / drug effects*
  • Chorionic Gonadotropin / administration & dosage
  • Drug Administration Schedule
  • Embryo Transfer / veterinary*
  • Female
  • Fertility Agents, Female / administration & dosage*
  • Fertilization in Vitro / veterinary*
  • Follicle Stimulating Hormone / administration & dosage
  • Ovary / drug effects*
  • Ovary / metabolism
  • Ovulation / drug effects*
  • Ovulation Induction / veterinary*
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Outcome / veterinary
  • Sheep, Domestic / blood*

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Chorionic Gonadotropin
  • Fertility Agents, Female
  • Anti-Mullerian Hormone
  • Follicle Stimulating Hormone