Effect of xylazine sedation on testicular blood flow, testicular echotexture, and circulating hormones in Shiba goats

Abstract

Under eld conditions, sedation may be required for a full assessment of the reproductive potential of farm animals. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of xylazine sedation on testicular hemodynamics (TBF), echotexture, testicular volume (TV), and circulating hormones in goats. Sixteen male Shiba goats were sedated using the recommended dose of xylazine (0.05 mg/Kg BW). Testicular hemodynamics were evaluated using color pulsed Doppler ultrasonography before and after sedation. Echotexture of the testicular parenchyma and TV were assessed using computerized image analysis.Concentrations of testosterone, estradiol (E2), inhibin, cortisol, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH) were measured using radioimmunoassay. There were no effects of xylazine sedation in TBF, TV, testicular parenchyma parameters, testosterone, inhibin, FSH, and LH (P 0.05). However, after sedation, there was signi cantly (P 0.05) lower cortisol and E2 concentration (42.88 ± 6.79 ng/ml and 2.47 ± 0.58 pg/ml, respectively) than before sedation (94.89 ± 13.74 ng/ml and 8.65 ± 1.79 pg/ml, respectively). The required time to perform full scanning of the testis was signi cantly lower (8.50 ± 1.50 min) after xylazine sedation compared to the non-sedated goats (25.75 ± 4.57 min). In conclusion, xylazine sedation may be practically recommended for the evaluation of TBF in goats because it did not signi cantly alter velocities parameters and Doppler indices of blood ow within the testicular arteries. Most plasma hormones did not signi cantly change; however, E2 and cortisol were signi cantly reduced after xylazine administration.

Emotional temperaments in advanced pregnant goats and its relationship with the feto-maternal blood flow and placentome echotexture

“…Xylazine sedation significantly reduced the maternal serum cortisol in both the calm and nervous goats. Similar findings were found in dogs (Väisänen et al 2002 ), and goats (Aghamiri et al 2022 ; Samir et al 2023c ) after sedation with xylazine. Decreased cortisol levels may be attributed to the depressive effect of sedation on the central nervous system and the adrenocortical stimulation caused by emotional stress (Oyama 1973 ; Sanhouri et al 1992 ; Tranquilli et al 2007 ).…”

“…In brief, goats under the study were selected from a collection (flock) of late-stage-pregnant goats. After two consecutive initial trials (3–4 days apart) for the assessment of uterine and fetal hemodynamics using color Doppler ultrasonography, goats were categorized based on their behavioral temperament during handling and examination and previous standard criteria (Samir et al 2023c ) into a calm group ( n = 7) and non-calm or nervous group ( n = 7). The standard criteria include animal handling scores and time (minutes) required to complete the full assessment of the fetal and maternal hemodynamics by Doppler ultrasonography per goat to reach a proper assessment and grouping of animals.…”

“…After grouping, goats were evaluated for the FA, UMA, and MUA hemodynamics, and echotexture of placentomes before xylazine sedation (non-sedated condition). On a subsequent day, and at about 20 min after sedation with the recommended dosage of xylazine (sedated condition, of 2nd score, Samir et al 2023c ), all parameters were re-evaluated in both groups. In this respect, animals are released following the completion of the study, but they were under our inspection till the due time (parturition) to record any disorders.…”

Non-Invasive Assessment of the Intraventricular Pressure Using Novel Color M-Mode Echocardiography in Animal Studies: Current Status and Future Perspectives in Veterinary Medicine

“…Deaths and severe economic losses due to heart problems are frequently occurring in ruminant species; however, diagnostic facilities for early detection and accurate diagnosis of cardiac diseases in ruminants are still lacking [86,87]. Moreover, small ruminants such as sheep and goats are useful animal models to study the pathophysiology of ruminants and at the same time are considered efficient models for cardiovascular research [88][89][90].…”

Effect of trehalose on heart functions in rats model after myocardial infarction: assessment of novel intraventricular pressure and heart rate variability

“…Multiple images were captured at the time of euthanasia before cutting the hearts for gross evaluation of the severity and size of the lesion in the myocardium. Moreover, for further interpretation, we used the free ImageJ software for quantitative analysis of the gross score (ImageJ, MD, USA) as described previously ( 43 ). The mean gray value, integrated density (ID), and median were measured ( 44 ).…”