Effects of a GnRH administration on testosterone profile, libido and semen parameters of dromedary camel bulls

Davide Monaco (1) , Meriem Fatnassi (2) , Barbara Padalino (1) , Lydiane Aubé (1) , Touhami Khorchani (2) , Mohamed Hammadi (2) , Giovanni Michele Lacalandra (1)

1 UNIBA - Università degli studi di Bari Aldo Moro = University of Bari Aldo Moro
2 Livestock and Wildlife Laboratory

GnRH treatment has been suggested to increase testosterone levels temporarily and to stimulate libido in stallions, but its use has not fully ascertained in dromedary camels. The aim of this work was to study the effects of administering 100 μg of GnRH on testosterone profile, libido and semen parameters in dromedary camels. The same bulls were used as self-controls and experimental group. Blood samples were collected every 20 min (T0-T12) for 4 h, and semen collections were performed over a 2-h period after T12. GnRH was administered immediately after T0. In GnRH-treated bulls, testosterone levels showed an upward trend, peaking after 140 min, and then slowly decreasing. GnRH administration also led to a decrease in mating time and an increase in spermatozoa concentration. Overall, it seems that administration of 100 μg GnRH might increase testosterone levels temporarily and enhance camel reproduction performance

Keywords: Testosterone; Sexual behavior; Semen collection; GnRH; Ejaculates quality; Camelus dromedarius

Domains: Life Sciences [q-bio]; Animal biology; Veterinary medicine and animal Health

Davide Monaco, Meriem Fatnassi, Barbara Padalino, Lydiane Aubé, Touhami Khorchani, et al.. Effects of a GnRH administration on testosterone profile, libido and semen parameters of dromedary camel bulls. Research in Veterinary Science, 2015, 102, pp.212-216. ⟨10.1016/j.rvsc.2015.08.011⟩. ⟨hal-01193162⟩