Age-Specific Peripheral Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) Concentration: A Candidate Endocrine Marker for Fertility Assessment in Cattle

Abstract

Anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) emerges as the most reliable endocrine marker in assessing the fertility potential over the ages. The age-specific reference range for peripheral AMH concentrations in cattle is lacking. The present study thus aimed (i) to address the question whether ovarian secretion of AMH would be affected by gonadotrophic status after gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) challenge in cattle and (ii) to establish age-specific plasma AMH concentrations in Holstein Friesian crossbred cattle (n= 151) using an enzyme immune-assay technique. Data on hormonal concentrations over time in GnRH-treated animals were analyzed by nonparametric one-way repeated measure ANOVA. GnRH challenge could not bring any change (P>0.05) in plasma AMH concentrations, while plasma FSH and LH concentrations changed significantly (P<0.01) over time after GnRH administration in cattle. Data on age specific hormonal concentrations in cattle were analyzed by nonparametric one-way ANOVA, i.e. Kruskal-Wallis test to find the significant change of plasma AMH concentrations over time, if any, in cattle. Plasma AMH concentrations changed significantly (P<0.05) between the mean rank of the related groups over the time (age) in cattle. A cubic model was found to be the best fitted model for explaining the change of plasma AMH level with age. The present results open the possibility of using the peripheral AMH level as a candidate endocrine marker for the assessment of reproductive status.