Al-Qadisiyah Journal of Veterinary Medicine Sciences

Morphological and Hormonal Changes of Pituitary-Gonadal Axis in Domestic Queens at Different Estrous Phases

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Al- Qadisiyah, Al-Diwaniyah City, Iraq.

2 Department of Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Al-Diwaniyah City, Iraq.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the morphological changes of pituitary, ovarian, and uteri and the expression levels of ovarian fshr, lhr, inhα, and cyp19a genes at different estrous phases. Ten adult queens, at each estrous phase, were included. The pituitary glands, ovaries, and uteri were dissected for histological examination and molecular analysis. Higher ovarian weight at the estrus phase and higher uterin weight at the diestrus phase were shown compared with other estrous phases. Ovarian growing follicle diameter, myometrium thickness, pituitary gland dimeter, and the expression levels of ovarian fshr, lhr, inhα, cyp19a genes significantly elevated at the estrus and proestrus phases among other phases. At the proestrus phase, the ovarian sections showed different stages of follicular growth, whereas the estrus phase showed disintegrated tertiary follicles and hypertrophied granulosa and theca cells. The diestrus phase revealed the formation of corpus luteum and atresia follicles, while the anestrus phase showed the different types of follicles. The uteri sections at the proestrus and estrus phases revealed striated and lengthening uterine glands and increased vascularization. At the diestrus phase, the uteri showed reduced vascularization, whereas those at the anestrus phase showed reduced uterine glands development. The pituitary sections at the proestrus and estrus phases revealed differential staining characteristics and sizes of secretory granules compared with diestrus and anestrus phases. It could be concluded that significant histological and functional changes occure in the pituitary-gonadal axis at different estrous phases of adult queens.

Keywords

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Al-Qadisiyah Journal of Veterinary Medicine Sciences
Volume 22, Issue 1
May 2023
Pages 23-37
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