INFLUENCE OF HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY AND BACTERIAL INOCULATION ONPROTEINS AND ENZYMES IN UTERINE LAVAGE FLUID OF OVARIECTOMIZED MARES

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of exogenou s hormones, and acute and persistent endometritis on N-acetyl-beta-D-g lucosaminidase (NAGase), P-glucuronidase (B-Gase), acid phosphatase, l ysozyme and plasmin activities, trypsin-inhibitor capacity (TIG) and t otal protein concentration in uterine lavage fluids of mares. In Exper iment 1, uterine lavage fluids were collected from four ovariectomized mares before hormone treatments (C) and after 7 days sequential treat ment with oestradiol benzoate (E), oestradiol and synthetic progestin (EP), and progestin alone (P). In Experiment 2, the mares received no hormones, E, EP, or P over a period of 4 weeks (Days -7-21, treatments C + i, E + i, EP + i and P + i). On Day 0 the uterus was inoculated ( i) with Streptococcus zooepidemicus. Uterine swabbing and lavage were performed 6 and 24 h and 3, 7, 14 and 21 d after inoculation. Values o btained in Experiment 1 were used as pre-inoculation values in Experim ent 2.