PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE:
Association of Melatonin Administration in Pregnant Ewes with Growth, Redox Status and Immunity of Their Offspring
This month’s edition of the peer-reviewed journal ANIMALS features an article by Efterpi Bouroutzika from the University of Thessaly (Greece) and 12 colleagues from other European universities, regarding the effect of implanting melatonin (Regulin) in pregnant ewes under heat stress compared to a control group.
The treated ewes received Regulin implants at 40 day intervals during pregnancy and the authors concluded:
… melatonin administration during pregnancy in heat-stressed ewes improved fertility rate and number of lambs born per ewe, the redox status* of the maternal organism and the produced milk quantity until weaning.
In this study, we present the impact of melatonin administration in stressed ewes during pregnancy considering:
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- humoral response of both maternal organism and offspring during the first two days after parturition,
- chemical composition and antioxidant parameters of colostrum and milk until weaning and
- redox status of the offspring until weaning.
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The results indicated that melatonin improved the redox status of the offspring and the quality of colostrum. Moreover, melatonin could be administered as immune-modulatory regime, apart from antioxidant, in prenatally stressed offspring in order to cope with the crucial first days of their life, as the humoral response results suggested.
*Redox status is an indicator of the balance of anti-oxidants and free radicals in an organism that can lead to cell and tissue damage.
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