Ultrasonographic characteristics of the testes, epididymis and accessory sex glands and arterial spectral indices in peri- and post-pubertal Nelore and Caracu bulls

Rodrigues, Naiara Nantes; Rossi, Guilherme Fazan; Vrisman, Dayane Priscila; Taira, Akihiro; Souza, Luana Lelis; Zorzetto, Mariana Furtado; Bastos, Natália Marins; Paz, Cláudia Cristina Paro de; Lima, Vera Fernanda Martins Hossepian de; Monteiro, Fábio Morato; Oliveira, M. E. F.

doi:10.1016/j.anireprosci.2019.106235

“…In the current study, values of the Doppler indices of the STA were notably greater than those reported in Bos taurus bulls in previous literature [35,36]. These differences might be attributable to the anatomical characteristic differences between the scrotum in buffalo and Bos taurus bulls.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 79%

Seasonal Alterations in Testicular Hemodynamics and Echotexture in Relation to Semen Quality in Buffalo Bulls

Samir

¹

,

El‐Sherbiny

²

,

El-Shalofy

³

2023

Andrologia

3

0

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The present study is aimed at investigating the usefulness of the pulsed-wave Doppler ultrasonography for the characterization of testicular blood flow in buffaloes during the nonbreeding and breeding seasons. Ten Egyptian buffalo bulls were evaluated for changes in the blood flow (Doppler’s indices: resistive index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI)) at the levels of supratesticular (STA) during the breeding (winter) and nonbreeding season (summer). The alterations in testicular parenchyma echotexture (pixel intensity (PIX) and echotexture heterogeneity (EH)) were assessed by computer analysis software. Circulating testosterone and nitric oxide (NO) concentrations and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were measured colorimetrically. Sperm parameters including total and progressive motility %, viability %, morphology %, and concentrations were assessed. Results revealed lower values ( p < 0.05 ) of RI ( 0.55 ± 0.02 ) and PI ( 0.82 ± 0.03 ) within the STA in the breeding period compared to the nonbreeding period (RI: 0.67 ± 0.03 ; PI: 0.99 ± 0.01 ). Higher ( p < 0.05 ) PIX and EH were found in the nonbreeding season (PIX: 72.09 ± 1.81 ; EH: 14.99 ± 1.37 ) compared to the breeding season (PIX: 60.95 ± 1.51 ; EH: 11.75 ± 0.63 ). Concentrations of testosterone and TAC were not significantly changed. However, the concentrations of NO were greater ( p < 0.05 ) during the breeding season ( 78.21 ± 0.87 ) compared to those of the nonbreeding one ( 59.74 ± 2.97 ). Total motility %, progressive motility %, viability %, and sperm concentrations were higher during the breeding season compared to that during the nonbreeding season ( p < 0.05 ). In conclusion, seasonality alters testicular hemodynamics and echotexture, NO concentrations, and sperm quality in buffaloes without alterations in the testosterone and TAC levels.

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“…This result corroborates the ndings of Kowalski et . This difference might be related to the age of the animals in the cited studies since pixel intensity of the testicular parenchyma is higher before and during puberty (Brito et al, 2004;Rodrigues et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Ultrasonography is a complementary technique to andrological examination and can be an excellent tool to examine the integrity of the testicular parenchyma, in addition to being a rapid and non-invasive method. Spectral Doppler ultrasound can be used to assess blood ow indices in the testicular arteries and pampiniform plexus and thus to estimate blood perfusion in this region (Ortiz- Rodrigues et al, 2017;Claus et al 2019;Rodrigues et al, 2020). Studies have evaluated the relationship of these parameters with the semen quality of various species based on the testicular health of individuals (Pinggera et al, 2008;Ahmadi et al, 2013;Tomlinson et al, 2017;Camela et al, 2019;Gloria et al, 2018;.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship of residual feed intake with semen parameters and testicular ultrasound of Nellore bulls

Borges

¹

,

Silva

²

,

Fernandes

³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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0

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Residual feed intake (RFI) is one of the main tools used to identify feed efficiency. However, there is no consensus on the true impact of RFI on male reproductive traits in cattle. The study aimed to evaluate characteristics of the testicular parenchyma and vascular parameters of the pampiniform plexus obtained by ultrasound, semen quality parameters, and sperm freezability in Nellore bulls classified based on RFI. Twenty-seven bulls (21.82±0.88 months of age) evaluated for feed efficiency were sampled for the study, including 15 with low RFI (-0.592±0.09 kg dry matter/day) and 12 with high RFI (0.792±0.10 kg dry matter/day). In ultrasound and Doppler assessment, the most efficient animals (low RFI) showed higher pulsatility and resistive indexes, as well as a tendency (P=0.061) towards greater heterogeneity of the testicular parenchyma (0.625±0.032 vs. 0.508±0.032; 1.012±0.072 vs. 0.802±0.072 and 12.9±0.96 vs. 10.2±0.96, respectively, for low vs. high RFI). However, these animals tended (P=0.0652) to have lower peak diastolic velocity (5.19±0.50 for low RFI vs. 6.54±0.50 for high RFI). Analysis of fresh semen showed a lower percentage of minor defects in low RFI animals (2.67±1.19%) compared to high RFI animals (8.10±1.19%), without differences in the other parameters in fresh or thawed semen and after thermoresistance testing. Evaluation of flow cytometry parameters showed a higher quality of mitochondrial respiration in semen samples of low RFI animals (22.04±2.50%) compared to high RFI animals (12.29±2.71%). In conclusion, although RFI exerts an effect on the Doppler parameters of the pampiniform plexus, it was not sufficient to affect the quality of fresh or thawed semen.

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“…In fact, Junior et al (2018) compared Doppler values of STA blood flow pattern in different breeds of bulls, the study found differences of the mean velocity, PI and RI between Aberdeen Angus, Bradford, Brangus, Hereford and Nelore bulls [27]. In another study performed in Nelore and Caracu bulls, significant differences between RI and PI where also found, meaning biometric ultrasonography characteristics of the testicular artery are affected by the genetic group [29]. The size of the animal also affects Doppler velocimetric parameters.…”

Section: Influence Of Breed and Size On Doppler Indicesmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Pozor and McDonnel (2004) concluded it is possible to characterize the testicular artery by ultrasonography and the importance of its measurement in two locations due to its convoluted course [20]. Following these results, more research was performed in other animal species, establishing physiological parameters of the testicular artery using CD and SD at different locations in stallions [20][21][22], jackass [23], dogs [21,24,25], felines [26], bull [27][28][29], rams [30][31][32][33][34], bucks [9,12] and camelids [35].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

New Approaches to Assess Fertility in Domestic Animals: Relationship between Arterial Blood Flow to the Testicles and Seminal Quality

Velasco

¹

,

Ruiz

²

2020

Animals

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The early identification of infertile males improves reproduction efficiency at a production level and is essential to secure high production rates. Before entering a breeding program, males must pass an initial breeding soundness examination (BSE) which consist of several diagnostic exams whose end point is to estimate their future fertility. There is ongoing research to find new markers that allow better identification of fertile males. Doppler mode allows the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the irrigation of organs. When evaluating the reproductive system, Doppler mode has been successfully used for the evaluation of the uterine and ovarian irrigation. In males, it is gaining relevance for the evaluation of testicular irrigation. Researchers have found a relationship between pulsed-wave Doppler velocimetric parameters and seminal quality in various domestic animal species. This suggests Doppler ultrasound parameters should be considered as objective parameters to evaluate testicular function. In this review, we analyze the results in the main domestic animal species and discuss the differences and similarities among the results. We also discuss the effect of the location of the measurements, breed, season and laterality in the measurement of Doppler velocimetric parameters as well as the impact and limitations of this method of assessing breeding soundness.

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Ultrasonographic characteristics of the testes, epididymis and accessory sex glands and arterial spectral indices in peri- and post-pubertal Nelore and Caracu bulls

Cited by 7 publications

References 28 publications

Seasonal Alterations in Testicular Hemodynamics and Echotexture in Relation to Semen Quality in Buffalo Bulls

Seasonal Alterations in Testicular Hemodynamics and Echotexture in Relation to Semen Quality in Buffalo Bulls

Relationship of residual feed intake with semen parameters and testicular ultrasound of Nellore bulls

New Approaches to Assess Fertility in Domestic Animals: Relationship between Arterial Blood Flow to the Testicles and Seminal Quality

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