Skip to main content
PMC home page
Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica logoLink to Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica
. 1989 Sep 1;30(3):313–319. doi: 10.1186/BF03548037

Periovulatory Endocrinology and Oocyte Maturation in Unmated Mature Blue Fox Vixens (Alopex lagopus)

Endokrinologi og oocytmodning omkring ovulasjonen hos uparede eldre blårevtisper (Alopex lagopus)

W Farstad 111,211,311,411,✉, M Mondain-Monval 111,211,311,411, P Hyttel 111,211,311,411, A J Smith 111,211,311,411, D Markeng 111,211,311,411
PMCID: PMC8142175  PMID: 2516990

Abstract

Nine of 10 mature blue fox vixens (Alopex lagopus) in spontaneous oestrus ovulated approximately 2 days after the preovulatory increase in luteinizing hormone (LH). Plasma concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormone and progesterone increased simultaneously with the LH peak, whereas oestradiol-17 β peaked 1 day previously. In the tenth vixen, an LH peak was not observed, and neither visible follicles nor corpora lutea were found in the ovaries 6 days after peak vaginal electrical resistance.

Eggs were ovulated as primary oocytes, but oocyte maturation was initiated within the day of ovulation (2 days after the LH peak). Within the next 2 days (3–4 days after the LH peak) the first polar body was extruded, and the cumulus mass was completely dissociated from the zona pellucida.

The interval between the preovulatory LH peak and initiation of the final oocyte maturation is thus considerably longer in the blue fox than for example in the cow (48–72 h compared with 9–12 h). This suggests that the relationship between these two events is somewhat different in the blue fox.

Keywords: endocrinology, ovulation, oocyte maturation

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.8 MB).

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the excellent cooperation of the staff at The Research Farm for Fur-bearing Animals at Heggedal, Norway, we would also like to thank Miss Inger Madsen at the Department of Anatomy, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Copenhagen for preparing the oocytes for electron microscopy and Patricia Simon at The Foundation for Hormonal Research, Fresnes, France, for skilfull technical assistance with the hormone assays.

References

  1. Chakraborty PK. Reproductive hormone concentrations during estrus, pregnancy and pseudopregnancy in the Labrador bitch. Theriogeno- logy. 1987;27:827–837. doi: 10.1016/0093-691X(87)90205-6. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  2. Hiller SG, Tsonis CG, Wickings EJ, Eidne KA. Inhibition of FSH-stimulated granulosa cell function by a synthetic fragment of the porcine inhibin & subunit: Evidence for involv- ment of GnRH receptors. J. Endocr. 1987;113:R3–R5. doi: 10.1677/joe.0.113R003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Holst PA, Phemister RD. The prenatal development of the dog: Preimplantation events. Biol. Reprod. 1971;5:194–206. doi: 10.1093/biolreprod/5.2.194. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hyttel P, Callesen H, Greve T. Ultrastructural features of preovulatory oocyte maturation in superovulated cattle. J. reprod. Fert. 1986;76:645–656. doi: 10.1530/jrf.0.0760645. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hyttel P. Bovine cumulusoocyte disconnection in vitro. Anat. Embryol. 1987;176:41–44. doi: 10.1007/BF00309750. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hyttel P, Madsen I. Rapid method to prepare mammalian oocytes and embryos for transmission electron microscopy. Acta Anat. 1987;129:12–14. doi: 10.1159/000146370. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Leversha LJ, Robertson DM, de Vos FL, Morgan FJ, Hearn MTW, Wettenhals REH, Findlay JK, Burger HG, de Kretser DM. Isolation of inhibin from ovine follicular fluid. J. Endocr. 1987;113:213–221. doi: 10.1677/joe.0.1130213. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Mondain-Monval M, Dutourne B, Bonnin M, Canivenc R, Scholler R. Ovarian activity during the anoestrus and the reproductive season of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes L.). J. Steroid. Biochem. 1977;8:761–769. doi: 10.1016/0022-4731(77)90010-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Mondain-Monval M, Bonnin M, Canivenc R, Scholler R. Heterologous radioimmunoassay for fox LH. Levels of LH during the reproductive season and the anoestrus in the red fox (Vulpes vulpes L.). Gen. Comp. Endocr. 1984;55:125–132. doi: 10.1016/0016-6480(84)90136-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Mondain-Monval M, Smith AJ, Simon P, Moller OM, Scholler R, McNeilly AS. Effect of melatonin implantation on the seasonal variation of FSH secretion in the male blue fox (Alopex lagopus). J. Reprod. Fert. 1988;83:345–354. doi: 10.1530/jrf.0.0830345. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Moller OM, Mondain-Monval M, Smith AJ, Metzger E, Scholler R. Temporal relationships between hormonal concentrations and the electrical resistance of the vaginal tract of the foxes (Alopex lagopus) at prooestrus and oestrus. J. Reprod. Fert. 1984;70:15–24. doi: 10.1530/jrf.0.0700015. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Olson PN, Bowen RA, Behrendt MD, Olson JD, Nett TM. Concentrations of reproductive hormones in canine serum throughout late anoestrus, prooestrus and estrus. Reprod. 1982;27:1196–1206. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod27.5.1196. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Pearson OP, Enders RK. Ovulation, maturation and fertilization in the fox. Anat. Rec. 1943;85:69–81. doi: 10.1002/ar.1090850106. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  14. Staigmiller RB, Moor RM. Effect of follicle cells on the maturation and developmental competence of ovine oocytes maturated outside the follicle. Gamete Res. 1984;9:221–229. doi: 10.1002/mrd.1120090211. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  15. Wildt DE, Chakraborty PK, Panko WB, Seager SWJ. Relationship of reproductive behavior, serum luteinizing hormone and time of ovulation in the bitch. Biol. Reprod. 1978;19:561–570. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod18.4.561. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica are provided here courtesy of BMC

RESOURCES