Hematochemical patterns in follicular fluid and blood stream in cycling mares: a comparative note

The aim of this study was to verify the existence of possible cross-talk between biochemical contents of follicular fluid (FF) and systemic concentrations according to the follicular development of the metabolites: glucose (GLU), lactate (LACT), cholesterol (CHOL), triglycerides (TG), total bilirubin (T BIL), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine (CREAT); enzymatic activities: gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST); electrolytes: calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and iron (Fe); total proteins (TP) and their fractions: albumin (ALB), α1-, α2-, β-, and γ-globulins (GLOB) of FF and blood strain and their correlations with follicular size in cycling mares. Systemic concentrations of GLU, T BIL, BUN, Fe, TP, ALB, α-1, and α-2 and δ-GLOB and of ALP, GGT, and AST activities were higher than in the FF (P < .05); LACT, CHOL, and TG were higher in FF than systemic ones (P < .05). Glucose, CHOL, TG, LACT, and T BIL were higher in large follicles than in medium and small follicles (P < .05); however, BUN, Fe, ALP, and AST were lower in large follicles than in medium or small follicles (P < .05). Alkaline phosphatase, GGT, and AST activities decreased in medium and large follicles compared with small follicles (P < .05). These results suggest that the metabolic, enzymatic, electrolytic, and protein composition of FF of growing follicles could occur according to the bloodstream changes; hence, it is possible to presume that the nutritional environment of oocyte and follicular cells could improve the clinical diagnoses of infertility in the mare.