Evaluation of three therapeutic alternatives for the early treatment of ovine pregnancy toxaemia

Abstract

BackgroundOvine pregnancy toxaemia is a common metabolic disorder of ewes due to increased foetal energy requirements in late pregnancy. This pathology is a metabolic condition characterized by hypoglycaemia and hyperketonaemia resulting in the inability of the animal to maintain an adequate energy balance. The response to treatment is effective, if it is started in the early stages of the disease, when irreversible neurological injuries have not yet been established. The aim was to evaluate three therapeutic alternatives to effectively reverse the disease process in its early stages.For this, thirty adult Corriedale ewes, pregnant with a single lamb, were randomly separated in three groups of ten animals each, at day 130 of gestation. From that day onwards, ewes were locked up for forage fasting until glycaemia reached clinical values defining sub-clinical pregnancy toxaemia (1.59 ± 0.24 mmol/L). After fasting, ewes grazed and received a treatment for 4 days: 50 ml i.v. infusions of hypertonic glucose and 20 UI insulin/ewe/day s.c. or 100 ml/sheep/12 h of glycerol together with propylene glycol oral solution or fed with pasture supplemented with two daily intakes 300 g/sheep of cracked corn. Glycaemia and ß-hydroxybutyrate were determined in all the animals from the beginning of fasting until the completion of the treatment.ResultsFasting caused a decline in blood glucose in the 3 groups. This decline continued until fasting was withdrawn and treatment began. Thereafter blood glucose increased in all three groups, although in the group supplemented with glycerol and propylene glycol it started to increase significantly after 12 h. The values of ß-hydroxybutyrate decreased in the 3 groups at the start of treatment, and this decline was more pronounced earlier on and in the group supplemented with glycerol and propylene glycol. We found no significant differences between all experimental groups. No animal showed clinical signs of pregnancy toxaemia throughout the research.ConclusionsThe three treatments administered to sheep affected by sub-clinical pregnancy toxaemia were able to restore normal concentration of glucose and ß-hydroxybutyrate in blood, although per os administration of 100 ml/sheep/12 h of glycerol with propylene glycol, was the most successful treatment, normalizing the aforementioned biochemical parameters in a shorter time.

Evaluation of a fibrate, specific stimulant of PPARα, as a therapeutic alternative to the treatment of clinical ovine pregnancy toxaemia

“…Cal‐Pereyra et al . () noted that glycaemia values were 2.71 ± 0.66, 2.95 ± 0.57 and 3.00 ± 0.57 mmol/L, respectively, in three groups of sheep carrying a singleton foetus at day 130 of gestation, while Sigurdsson () reported that the average glycaemia value was 2.88 ± 0.56 mmol/L in sheep carrying singletons or twins on day 130 of gestation.…”

“…It was found by Cal-Pereyra et al (2015a) that glycaemia values in two groups of sheep carrying singletons on day 130 of gestation were 3.19 AE 0.45 and 3.04 AE 0.53 mmol/L, respectively. Cal-Pereyra et al (2015b) noted that glycaemia values were 2.71 AE 0.66, 2.95 AE 0.57 and 3.00 AE 0.57 mmol/L, respectively, in three groups of sheep carrying a singleton foetus at day 130 of gestation, while Sigurdsson (1988) reported that the average glycaemia value was 2.88 AE 0.56 mmol/L in sheep carrying singletons or twins on day 130 of gestation. Fig.…”

“…However, in sheep treated with 2‐methyl‐2‐phenoxy‐propionic acid + 100 mL of glycerol–propylene glycol (Group B) and only with glycerol–propylene glycol (Group C), this increase was more precocious than in sheep treated only with 2‐methyl‐2‐phenoxy‐propionic acid (Group A), in accordance with Cal‐Pereyra et al . (), who have previously reported a significant increase in glycaemia 12 h after treatment with glycerol–propylene glycol started. Propylene glycol is absorbed from the rumen at a rate of 40% per hour without being metabolized producing a rapid increase in blood glucose concentration at about 4 h after its administration (Herdt & Emery, ), which explains the precocious increase in glycaemia in groups B and C. 2‐Methyl‐2‐phenoxy‐propionic acid is a fibrate that regulates gene expressions involved in gluconeogenesis, but it is not a glucose precursor (Georgiadi & Kersten, ; Gessner et al ., ), resulting in lower increase in glycaemia in Group A. Glycaemia values in the two groups including glycerol–propylene glycol (groups B and C) remained high for a longer time, which can be a consequence of slow glycerol degradation producing a high proportion of propionate, the main precursor of glucose via gluconeogenesis, resulting in a increase in glycaemia for a relatively long period (Rook, ; Cal‐Pereyra et al ., ).…”

“…Ketonaemia and hypoglycaemia are frequent findings in toxaemic sheep (Sargison et al, 1994;West, 1996;Andrews, 1997;Roubies et al, 2003;Jyothi et al, 2014;Cal-Pereyra et al, 2015b), while other laboratory evaluations showed findings such as metabolic acidosis (Marteniuk & Herdt, 1988), decreased serum fructosamine (Cantley et al, 1991), increased AST and other enzymes (Cal et al, 2009;Jyothi et al, 2014), increased plasmatic cortisol (Sigurdsson, 1988;Cal-Pereyra et al, 2015a), nonesterified free fatty acids (NEFA) (Raoofi et al, 2013) and hypocalcaemia (Van Saun, 2000;Roubies et al, 2003).…”

Validation of a handheld β-hydroxybutyrate acid meter to identify hyperketonaemia in ewes

“…Pregnancy toxemia is a metabolic disease caused by a negative energy balance that result in excessive lipid metabolism and ketosis (Araújo et al, 2018). Occurs generally in ewes carrying two or more foetuses and has a high mortality rate (Cal-Pereyra et al, 2015b). In obese ewes, the fat storage formed around the rumen predisposes the occurrence of the disease by reducing dry matter intake (Lacetera et al, 2001;Araújo et al, 2018).…”