Overview of Anti‐Müllerian hormone (AMH) and association with fertility in female cattle

Abstract

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is produced by granulosa cells of early-antral follicles found on the ovary. After production, it enters circulation and can be detected from a blood sample with an ELISA. Multiple works have found that circulating AMH is a reliable marker of the antral follicle population (AFP) of an animal as well as directly correlated to an animal's response to a superovulation protocol. Research has also found high repeatability within an animal's oestrous cycle. Further use of AMH may be valuable as a reproductive management tool, based on previous research linking productive life with circulating AMH in heifers and success to various breeding protocols by AMH concentration. The aim of this review was to summarize previous works describing basic function of AMH as well as explore recent research examining AMH as a reproductive tool and measurement of fertility in dairy animals. How to cite this article: Alward KJ, Bohlen JF. Overview of Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and association with fertility in female cattle. Reprod Dom

Relationship between the concentration of anti-Müllerian hormone and antral follicle count in pasture-managed Holstein cows in the high tropics

“…However, their efficacy depends on physiological characteristics of the female such as the antral follicle count (AFC), which can vary substantially among donors. AFC may be a good marker for selecting donors with the greatest potential to generate competent oocytes, which would increase the proportion of animals that respond well to reproductive biotechnologies (Alward and Bohlen, 2020). At present, donors with high AFC are selected based on transrectal ultrasound in the framework of multiple ovulation embryo transfer (MOET) programs for assisted reproduction in cattle.…”

In Vitro Production of Embryos from Prepubertal Holstein Cattle and Mediterranean Water Buffalo: Problems, Progress and Potential

“…The same variation was observed in calves [ 21 , 106 ], with research in our laboratory revealing similar results in both Holsteins [ 100 ] and buffalo [ 105 ] calves as shown in Table 1 . The large individual variation is problematic in selecting the best calves to be used in a prepubertal LOPU-IVEP scheme, which may be mitigated by determining the serum concentrations of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) given its correlation with an individual animal’s response following gonadotropin stimulation observed in adult cattle and buffalo [ 107 , 108 , 109 ]. Although more work needs to be done to confirm this remains true in prepubertal buffalo calves, data suggest that AMH concentration remains a credible marker for LOPU-IVEP performance in prepubertal Bos taurus and indicus calves [ 110 ].…”

Evaluation of serum anti‐Müllerian hormone concentrations following treatment with vitamin D in Holstein Friesian heifers

“…Indeed, research in women has demonstrated that the administration of Vitamin D is a determinant affecting AMH levels (Dennis et al, 2017; Honda et al, 2016; Naderi et al, 2018; Xu et al, 2018). In studies examining factors impacting AMH levels in cattle, variables such as race, nutrition, fetal sex, heat stress, ovarian tumour, puberty, parity, and genetics have been identified (Akbarinejad et al, 2018; Alward & Bohlen, 2020; Mossa et al, 2017; Mossa & Ireland, 2019; Umer et al, 2019). However, to our knowledge, the impact of Vit D3 on serum AMH levels in heifers remains unexplored.…”