Plasma concentrations of progesterone, oestrogens and prostaglandin F in maternal blood and corticosteroids and oestrogens in foetal blood of cows during dexamethasone-induced deliveries

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Infusing dexamethasone at rates of 0.1, 1.0 or 10 mg/day into 6 fetal calves at day 240 of gestation (2 calves per infusion rate), induced premature calving in a mean 12, 9 and 3 days, respectively. Maternal plasma concentrations of progesterone, estrone, estradiol-17.beta. and prostaglandin[PG]F or 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGF, and fetal plasma concentrations of estrone, estradiol-17.beta. and corticosteroids were monitored until calving. The maternal hormone changes observed for all cows were a decline in progesterone, and a rise in both estrogen and PGF concentrations before calving. Dexamethasone infused at a rate of 1.0 and 10.0 mg/day suppressed plasma corticosteroids in the fetus; however at 0.1 mg/day, fetal corticosteroids increased 10-fold during the last 3 days before calving. At the lowest rate of infusion, dexamethasone had no effect on fetal estrogen levels, but at rates of 1.0 and 10.0 mg/day there was a marked rise in fetal plasma levels of estrogen.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: