Seasonal variations in serum pregnancy associated glycoproteins during early pregnancy in Aardi goats in central Saudi Arabia

Objective:To accurately detect pregnancy in local Aardi goats of Saudi Arabia before day 30 of pregnancy by using serum caprine pregnancy associated glycoproteins (caPAG) concentrations and to evaluate the effects of heat stress on early pregnancy and on caPAG concentrations in pregnant and non-pregnant goats.Methods:This study was to confirm the reliability of our methods in different seasons of the year. A new protocol to evaluate and improve Aardi goats' reproductive performance was implemented during summer and winter months. A total of 60 healthy mature Aardi goats were used (30 and 30 in the summer and winter, respectively). All were synchronized using an ovsynch protocol and then naturally mated (NM) to mature tested bucks. Conception rates and caPAG were measured and pregnancy was verified by ultrasonography.Results:Regardless of season, however, on day 23 and 35 post-NM, caPAGs were higher in sera of pregnant (P<0.05) than in non-pregnant goats, while there was no difference in caPAG concentrations on day 15. On day 23 and 35 post-NM, serum caPAG concentrations were higher (P<0.001) in the pregnant winter group than in the pregnant summer group, while no differences were found in non-pregnant goats. Measuring serum caPAG concentrations proved to be easy and accurate in assessing early stages of pregnancy (as early as 23 days post-NM) during both summer and winter seasons.Conclusions: It can be concluded that pregnancy rates were not affected by seasonal differences. The modified ovsynch program can be advantageous and worthwhile for its ease of use. When we add the accuracy of caPAG tests, such a program will help in detecting pregnancies in Aardi goats as early as 23 days post-NM, regardless of the season.

Anti-Oxidative Biomarkers in Newborn Kids of Aardi Goats

The provision of basic data about oxidative stresses on Aardi goats will be beneficial for understanding the basic physiological indices of a valuable local breed of goats under harsh desert condition. The primary aim of this study is to assess the antioxidant status of newly born Aardi kids. Eighteen newly born Aardi kids were used in this study;sampled weekly as from week 1 to 4 for the assay of the plasma Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC), ThioBarbituric Reactive Substances (TBARS), and Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) activities. For new-born, total blood antioxidants concentrations did not change during the four weeks of life. However, TBARS increased during the 2nd and 3rd week of age (p < 0.05). The results indicated that TAC in kids from birth to 4 weeks of age tended to increase, but not significantly. Serum TBARS concentrations increased on the 2nd week and decreased significantly on the 4th week of age. Serum SOD levels did not change significantly, even though, the trend showed a decline during 1st to 3rd week of age. The small decrease in serum TBARS in the serum of kids can be considered as an indication of decreased oxidants, which in turn, resulted in a reduction in serum SOD concentration. In conclusion, this basic data could help in understanding the adaptational physiology of young local Saudi goats.