Biochemical blood analysis along pregnancy in Martina Franca jennies

Abstract

The availability of biochemical blood data specific for the pregnant condition are essential for the correct management of both normal pregnancies and also for the prompt recognition of every abnormality. Because of the lacking knowledge about biochemical blood analysis in the donkey along the entire pregnancy, the study was designed to provide first preliminary data about the values and possible changes of blood alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatine-kinase (CK), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (CREA), uric acid (UA), amylase (AMY), gamma-glutamyl transferase (γ-GT), triglycerides (TRI), cholesterol (CHOL), total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), glucose (GLU), phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), occurring from the beginning of pregnancy until parturition. The study was performed on 10 Martina Franca healthy jennies with normal pregnancy course and giving birth to mature, healthy and viable foals. Blood samples were collected monthly from the 1st to the 6th month of pregnancy, then twice a month from the 6th to the 9th month and afterwards weekly until parturition. The results showed a significant slight increase of glucose and creatinine in the second quarter of pregnancy and a minor decrease of cholesterol near to parturition, while all the other parameters did not significantly change along pregnancy.

Effect of age and of reproductive status on reproductive indices in horse mares carrying mule pregnancies

“…The result is very similar to the 341 ± 1.6 days gestation length (range of 307–360 days) reported for mule pregnancy by [ 5 ], with 315–369 days reported by [ 18 ], and with 342.3 ± 10.8 days reported by [ 19 ]. When pregnancy length was compared to the pregnancy length observed (author's unpublished data) in Half blood draft (339.9 ± 9.18 days) and Italian draft (339.3 ± 11.68 days) mares, the results showed superimposable findings, while it resulted very different when compared to Martina Franca donkey pregnancy length of 333–395 days [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ].…”

Reference Ranges for Hematological and Biochemical Profile of Martina Franca Donkeys

“…The population of MF donkeys consists of 1,239 specimens including 132 jackasses and 698 jennies approved for breeding (1). Notwithstanding the increasing population trend, MF donkeys are considered an endangered breed (1,4,5). Therefore, the exact knowledge about the physiological and pathological conditions of MF donkeys is indispensable in supporting the conservation strategies adopted for this breed.…”

“…Therefore, the exact knowledge about the physiological and pathological conditions of MF donkeys is indispensable in supporting the conservation strategies adopted for this breed. Although the knowledge of species-specific normal values of hematological and biochemical parameters is essential to classifying even in donkey the health or pathological status, in the past donkeys were considered similar to horses, limiting the study on donkey-specific reference ranges of biochemical and hematological parameters (4,5). Many factors influence blood parameters: the most important of them are age, gender, physiological status, or circadian rhythms that can strongly affect plasma concentrations of melatonin and glucose (6).…”

“…In donkeys of the MFd breed, the reference ranges for main biochemical and hematological parameters are poor and limited to a specific physiological status such as pregnancy (5) or limited to a particular period such as the neonatal one (11). In particular, age represents an important variable that should be considered for the evaluation of the hematological and biochemical reference range; indeed, it can influence the physiological and/or pathological status of the animal.…”

The metabolic profile of Asinara (albino) and Sardo donkeys (pigmented) (Equus asinus L., 1758) points to unequivocal breed assignment of individuals

“…As for the donkey, only a few contributions report detailed effects of the dietary regime on comparative biochemical profile and health conditions, with emphasis on specific nutrient deficiencies ( Chiofalo et al, 2005 ; Cappai, Picciau & Pinna, 2013 ; Cappai et al, 2017 ; Girardi et al, 2013 ; Valle et al, 2017 , 2018 ). In fact, very little is known about reference intervals of circulating parameters for this species ( Zinkl et al, 1990 ; French & Patrick, 1995 ; Folch, Jordana & Cuenca, 1997 ; Mori et al, 2003 ; Caldin et al, 2005 ; Bana et al, 2011 ; Girardi et al, 2013 ; Laus et al, 2015 ; Burden et al, 2016 ; Da Silva et al, 2018 ; Santos et al, 2018 ; De Palo et al, 2018 ; Gloria et al, 2018 ; Barrio, Rickards & Thiemann, 2019 ). The interpretation of baseline levels of metabolites in free grazing donkeys through a comparative approach between albino and pigmented breeds is not reported in the present literature, to the best of our knowledge.…”