Effect of Acute Melatonin Injection on Metabolomic and Testicular Artery Hemodynamic Changes and Circulating Hormones in Shiba Goats under Sub-Tropical Environmental Conditions

Due to climatic changes and global warming, heat stress has become a worldwide problem, especially in tropical and subtropical countries. Therefore, research studies that aim to alleviate heat stress conditions in males are valuable due to the high sensitivity of the testis to increased temperature. This study investigated whether an exogenous intravenous injection of melatonin could influence the testicular artery blood flow (TBF) and peripheral reproductive hormones and metabolomes in heat-stressed goats or not. Melatonin administration enhanced TBF, as measured by color Doppler ultrasonography, and induced significant changes in most studied hormones. Such data are valuable in the field of improving animal productivity under heat-stress environments because there were close correlations between TBF and potential animal fertility. In addition, peripheral metabolomic analysis was characterized and differentiated among the studied groups denoting several significant up and down metabolites that could be used in further research to investigate the underlying mechanisms. The beneficial effects of melatonin were investigated to mitigate various detrimental effects and toxicity on reproductive performance. The present study aimed, for the first time, to explore the effect of intravenous melatonin injection on testicular artery hemodynamics (TH) and metabolomic changes, reproductive hormones in heat-stressed bucks. Ten bucks were randomly split into two groups (five each): (1) the melatonin group, treated with a single intravenous dose of melatonin solution containing 10 mg melatonin each, and (2) the control group, which was treated with 10 mL of the vehicle without melatonin. Changes in the TH at the level of the supra testicular artery (STA) were assessed by triplex ultrasonography just before (0 h) and at 0.5, 2, 7, 24, and 168 h after melatonin or vehicle administration. Doppler velocity parameters of peak systolic velocity (PSV; cm/s), end-diastolic velocity (EDV; cm/s), and time average maximum velocity (TAMAX; cm/s) were measured. Doppler indices (resistive index; RI and pulsatility index; PI), systole/diastole (S/D) ratio and total arterial blood flow volume (TABFV; ml/minute) were measured. Peripheral concentrations of FSH, LH, inhibin, melatonin, testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), and cortisol were measured just before injection (0 h) and at 0.5, 2, 7, and 24 h and daily up to day 7 post administration in both groups. Results revealed reductions in the RI values and increases in the TABFV in the melatonin group compared to the control one, especially 2 h after administration. Significant increases in concentrations of FSH, T, E2, and melatonin and decreases in cortisol and inhibin in the melatonin group compared to the control one. Plasma metabolomic analysis at 2 h indicated the up-regulation of L-glutamine, L-arginine, sorbitol, D-glucose, ascorbic acid, and ornithine and the down-regulation of D-xylose, D-arabitol, ribitol, and oleic acid in the melatonin versus the control group. In conclusion, acute administration of melatonin (10 mg IV) enhanced testicular artery blood flow and plasma reproductive hormones in the Shiba goat under heat-stress circumstances.

Automated summary

The study found that exogenous intravenous injection of melatonin can increase testicular artery blood flow and induce changes in most studied hormones. These data are valuable for improving animal productivity under heat-stress environments, as there are close correlations between testicular artery blood flow and potential animal fertility. In addition, peripheral metabolomic analysis revealed important metabolites that can be used for further research on underlying mechanisms.