Attenuation of luteolytic response following fish meal supplementation in dairy buffaloes ( Bubalus bubalis)

Luteolysis of corpus luteum, due to un-inhibited PGF₂α secretion, has been reported to be a cause of early embryonic mortality in dairy animals. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of fish meal (FM) supplementation on the uterine secretion of PGF₂α and hence establish its supplementation as an antiluteolytic strategy in dairy buffaloes. Five cycling Murrah buffaloes were supplemented with 250g FM daily for 55 days in addition to their routine feed and seven buffaloes were kept as non-supplemented control. After 30 days of FM supplementation, the oestrus was synchronized in all the buffaloes using Ovsynch protocol. On day 15 of synchronized cycle, animals were challenged with oxytocin (OT; 100IU) intravenously and blood samples were collected at 15min interval, 1h before to 4h after OT challenge. The PGF₂α response was measured as the venous concentration of 13,14-dihydro-15-keto PGF₂α (PGFM). The mean hourly concentration of PGFM in FM supplemented buffaloes was lower than in the control buffaloes at all the occasions. During peak response (1h post-OT challenge), PGFM concentration was significantly lower (P