Authors : Hormones , Sex Steroids , Plasma ChemistryA. Al-Kindi , I. T. Kadim A. , I.Y. Mahmoud , O. Mahgoub , J. Plude and M. Al-Maani
Abstract: Two age groups of Omani sheep were subjected to a short period transportation under two sets of stress conditions. Blood samples were collected by jugular veinpuncture just before slaughtering and the degree of stress was related to hormone levels and blood chemistry. Chemiluminescence’s immunoassay technique was used to determine levels of cortisol,, gondadotropin (FSH, LH), Testosterone (T), Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) and Thyroid Hormones (T3, T4). Adrenaline, noradrenaline, and dopamine levels were determined by HPLC with electrochemical detection. In addition, plasma values of cholesterol, total protein, blood urea nitrogen (BUN3), lactate, CO Mg , PO , Ca and uric acid were also analyzed. A total of ++ ++ ++ 24 sheep were used, 12 at age of 6 months and 12 at 12 months. Each age group was randomly divided equally into control and experimental. The control sheep from each age group were transported using open truck (3X2 m) three days before they were slaughtered. The sheep were loaded at 7:00am on a 2 h journey with heavy traffic under air temperature, which varied between 30-31?C. The end of the journey, each age group was kept weparat3ly in a lairage of a commerical slaughterhouse, with food and water ad libitum. The xperimental group was subjected to the same transportation condition and with approximately the same temperate range except they were transported the same day they were slaughtered. The sheep in both age groups, which were transported the same day and then slaughtered at the end of the journey (experimental) had significantly higher cortisol value (p<0.001) than the control sheep of both ages. There was no significant difference in the catecholamine values between the experimental and control of both age groups but adrenaline and dopamine levels in the 12month sheep were significantly higher in both categories (p<0.001) than the 6month sheep. There was no clear trend in the hormone profiles and the values generally exhibited mixed results. For example FSH, TSH and T3 values wer3e significantly (p<0.05) higher in the 6-month control over the experimental, but in the 12month sheep the results were the opposite. In the blood parameters, there was also unclear trend in values. In the 6 month control, at least all the parameters were significantly lower (p<0.05) than in the experimental but the results were opposite in the 12 month sheep. Th3ere is some indication that the Omani sheep which transported on the same day demonstrated a degree of physiological stress which is based on higher values of cortisol. This probably is not caused by transportation alone but also on loading and unloading as well.
Hormones , Sex Steroids , Plasma ChemistryA. Al-Kindi , A. , I. T. Kadim , I.Y. Mahmoud , O. Mahgoub , J. Plude and M. Al-Maani , 2005. Physiological Response of Two Age Groups of Omani Sheep to Short Road Transportation in Relation to Circulating Levels of Gonasotropins, Cortisol, Thyroid . Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 4: 742-746.