Effects of castration on growth performance and pineal gland function of Hu sheep

IF 1.7 2区农林科学 Q2 AGRICULTURE, DAIRY & ANIMAL SCIENCE

Domestic animal endocrinology Pub Date : 2026-01-01 Epub Date: 2025-11-05 DOI:10.1016/j.domaniend.2025.106980

Wanhong Li, Haiyu Ma, Peidi Zhao, Xiuxiu Weng

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Abstract

Castration, as a veterinary procedure, can enhance carcass quality, significantly influencing the development of male animals. This study aimed to assess the effect of castration on growth performance and pineal gland function in Hu sheep lambs. Six healthy male Hu sheep were selected and randomly assigned to two groups. Three lambs underwent castration at 3 days of age (CAS), whereas the control group (CK) remained uncastrated. All lambs were housed indoors. Results indicated that the CAS group's body weight was significantly lower than that of the CK group (p < 0.05). However, the feed conversion ratio was significantly higher in the CAS group than in the CK group (p < 0.05). Serum testosterone, growth hormone and melatonin levels in the CK group were significantly elevated compared with those in the CAS group (p < 0.05). Pineal glands were harvested for RNA sequencing, which revealed 537 differentially expressed genes in the CAS group compared with CK, comprising 174 upregulated and 363 downregulated genes. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis highlighted significant enrichment in the neural ligand–receptor interactions, and autoimmune thyroid disease. The results demonstrated that castration could significantly influence the growth and development of lambs and affect the function of the pineal gland.

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去势对湖羊生长性能和松果体功能的影响

阉割作为一种兽医手术，可以提高胴体质量，对雄性动物的发育有显著影响。本试验旨在探讨去势对湖羊羔羊生长性能和松果体功能的影响。选取健康雄性湖羊6只，随机分为2组。3日龄（CAS）阉割3只羔羊，对照组（CK）不阉割。所有的羔羊都被圈养在室内。结果表明，CAS组体重显著低于CK组（p < 0.05）。但CAS组的饲料系数显著高于CK组（p < 0.05）。与CAS组相比，CK组血清睾酮、生长激素和褪黑素水平显著升高（p < 0.05）。采集松果体进行RNA测序，与CK相比，CAS组差异表达基因537个，其中上调基因174个，下调基因363个。京都基因和基因组百科全书通路分析强调了神经配体-受体相互作用和自身免疫性甲状腺疾病的显著富集。结果表明，去势对羔羊的生长发育和松果体功能有显著影响。

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来源期刊

Domestic animal endocrinology 农林科学-奶制品与动物科学

CiteScore

5.50

自引率

4.80%

发文量

审稿时长

31 days

期刊介绍： Domestic Animal Endocrinology publishes scientific papers dealing with the study of the endocrine physiology of domestic animal species. Those manuscripts utilizing other species as models for clinical or production problems associated with domestic animals are also welcome. Topics covered include: Classical and reproductive endocrinology- Clinical and applied endocrinology- Regulation of hormone secretion- Hormone action- Molecular biology- Cytokines- Growth factors