reproductive status

Measurement of faecal steroids as a non-invasive technique is widely used to monitor reproductive hormones in captive and free-ranging wild animals. This method offers a great advantage over invasive techniques like blood collection and deserves to be used in domestic animals. Repeated blood sampling is stressful, having animal welfare issues, difficult to obtain in field condition. In the faeces of cow, estradiol 17-α predominated, whereas in mares and sows, estradiol 17-β and estrone are main estrogens. Steroids are metabolized in liver, excreted in faeces and extraction is done by using a variety of methods such as ethanol, methanol etc. Faecal estrogen and progesterone metabolites evaluations are wel1 established approaches for monitoring of reproductive functions in a variety of mammalian species. So in future this method may be the most suitable for monitoring of reproductive status in farm animals particularly under field conditions.


Introduction
unconjugated estrogens.Most species voided faeces containing a higher percentage of free than conjugated Determination of reproductive status is one of the steroids.Estrogens are end products of steroid most important factors for effective management in metabolism and therefore the compounds in plasma modern dairy industry.Captive management of any and faeces are similar [11].Progesterone is mainly species benefits from understanding its basic metabolized by liver prior to its faecal excretion in reproductive biology, including endocrinology [1].
ruminants [6].About 99% of excreted progesterone is The non-invasive monitoring of hormones permit unconjugated compounds [12] and the principal faecal frequent sample collection and the alternatives are progesterone metabolites are 5α and 5β pregnane series urine, milk and faeces.The estimation of urinary in cows.The steroid hormone metabolites quantified in steroids has been used extensively to monitor the faeces, widely used in studies of wild animals, as a non physiological status of animals [2,3].The urine collection invasive, non stressor, economical and animal saving from farm animal species requires animal handling and technique which allows longitudinal studies by fixing of catheters and milk can only be obtained from permitting frequent sampling of the same individual lactating animals, limits there uses for investigation [13].Such characteristics justify the use of this particularly in heifers and dry-off animals.The faecal technique with laboratory and domestic animals.The steroid metabolites opened up new windows for nonroute of excretion varies considerably among the invasive monitoring of reproductive status.Therefore, species as well as between steroids within the same faecal steroids are the most practicable choice for this species.For example, in sheep 77% of progesterone purpose [4].Studies of faecal steroid hormones were metabolites excreted via faeces (12) in contrast 97% in first conducted mainly on their metabolism and excretion domestic cat [13].Several studies comparing plasma [5], further studies done regarding the puberty, estrous and faecal steroids value during the estrous cycle cycle, pregnancy, abortion, reproductive behaviour, indicated a delay of faecal steroids excretion compared seasonality and the monitoring of treatment therapies to that in plasma having a lag time of about 12-24 hour in zoo and domestic animals [6].
in ruminants and about 24 to over 48 hour in hind gut Extraction of the faecal steroids was done by day 120 in cows and mares [46], after the 12 week in th Mostl et al.
[11] and Hirata and Mori [20] in cattle by cows [47] and 14 weeks onwards in buffalo [36].In using diethyl ether while phosphate buffer solution was sow, there is an estrogen peak in the blood between day used by Hulten et al. [21] in gilts.Methanol was used in 23-30 of gestation [48], which can be detected in faeces buffaloes [22], in cows [10,23] and ethanol by Capezzuto [49] as a method of pregnancy diagnosis.The et al. [24]  Faecal estrogen determination in the male can be Faecal estrogen applied to those species, which produce high amounts of estrogens in the testis, like stallion and boar.Faecal Estradiol-l7 β is the primary and biologically estrogen values of mature stallions can reach values active estrogen secreted both from theca and granulosa compared to those of pregnant mares [46] and has been cells of growing ovarian follicles.Their effects on shown to be a reliable indicator of cryptorchidism in follicular growth are primarily mediated through horses [51].estrogen receptor and expression of their receptor has been detected in granulosa cells of bovine antral Faecal progesterone metabolites follicles at various stages of its development [26].
Progesterone is principal steroid hormone secreted Faecal estrogen determination was done in pregnant mainly by the corpus luteum (CL) that regulates estrous women [27], farm animals [11], bottlenose dolphin cycle and maintains pregnancy in all farm animals.(Tursiops truncatus) [25], pichis Zaedyus pichiy Adrenal cortex and placenta also secrete some amount (Xenarthra: Dasypodidae) [28], Gilbert's potoroo of progesterone during certain specific physiological (Potorous gilbertii) [29], plains zebra mares [30], stages like pregnancy.Faecal progesterone analysis pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis) [31], Snow has been successfully used for monitoring estrous Leopards (Panthera uncia) [32], Veiled Chameleons cycle, pregnancy, abortion, puberty and seasonality in (Chamaeleo calyptratus) [33], chinchilla [34].Faecal various animal species including primates [52], and estrogen concentration was at peak on day 4 post estrus nd wild animals mainly in caribous, rhinoceroses, felids, and the lowest during 2 week of estrous cycle in okapis, moose, minks, wolves, sable antelope etc. [6], buffalo [35] [22] concluded that the progesterone concentration nization and embryo transfer; diagnosis of reproductive in blood clearly correlated with the concentration of disorders depend on the knowledge of basic reproductive metabolites in faeces, similar to finding of Kumar [36] physiology of a particular species.Faecal steroid and suggested that non-invasive method is a valuable analysis needs to be explored as a non invasive tool to tool for determining the luteal status.
monitor reproductive status of the animals keeping in Faecal steroid metabolites analysis has been view of field application.successfully used for monitoring of reproductive status in mares [4], swine [21], cows [23], goats [24] and free and found that it was 100% accurate in diagnosing non Hegel, G. (1992).Monitoring of corpus luteum function by measuring progestagens in faeces of non-pregnant mares pregnant cows whereas accuracy of the pregnancy (Equus caballus) and Przewalski mares (Equus przewalskii).
Palme [19]addressed the main topic of hoof stock, red buffalo, yak, Grevy's Zebra, Nubian concern in faecal steroid hormone metabolites such as ibex, musk ox, caribou, gorilla, orangutan, Mhorr sample collection and storage, time delay, extraction gazelle, Przewalski's mare and Malaysian tapir, yellow procedures, assay selection and validation as well as baboon, sable antelope, bison, cynomologus monkey the confounding factors.and wild felids [6,32,44,45] and could be a reliable indicator of fetal viability as well [11].Pregnancy can in goats.Recently extraction of fecal samples applicability of non-invasive steroid hormones with petroleum ether has represented a valid alternative techniques for monitoring of reproductive status in to other more time-consuming methods of determining wild boar with positive correlation to serum values, faecal progesterone concentrations in the peripubertal enabling a more informed and correct management of female bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) by the species [50].Biancani et al. [25].