Serum hormone, stereologic and immunohistochemistry evaluation of the term choriallantoic membrane in mares: influence on the development and in clinical and biochemical parameters of the foal

Abstract

The improvement of current gestational and neonatal assessment models and development of new methodologies should help to predict the future development of foals in the best functional performance horses. Thus some studies have related placental characteristics with the size and weight of the foal at birth, while others have demonstrated the existence of a positive correlation between the height of foals at birth and adult horses. This study aims to establish reference parameters as markers for identification of placental dysfunction and fetal distress in equine species, and relationship these analyzes with a series of maternal variables that may influence on the development and on clinical and biochemical parameters of the foal in the first week life. For this propose, will be considered the reproductive history of the mares and hormonal profile evaluation by monthly measurements of plasmatic estrogen, progesterone and its metabolites from the fifth month of pregnancy on, chorioallantoic membrane analysis, including morphometric, stereological and immunohistochemistry to ER±, ER², PR, VEGF and its receptors (Flt-1 and KDR) in different regions of the term chorioallantoic, fetal membranes weight and umbilical cord lenght. The assessments highlighted above will be correlated with neonatal variables (weight, height, thorax perimeter, clinical and biochemical evaluation) and maternal variables (age, reproductive history, weight, height and thorax perimeter). (AU)