Modulation of prostaglandin synthesis to improve farm animal reproduction

Prostaglandins are biomolecules made of 20-carbon unsaturated hydroxyl fatty acids with a cyclopenta ring; PGE2 and PGF2alpha are the two prostaglandins that are most crucial for animal reproduction. While PGE2 exhibits strong luteotropic and luteoprotective qualities, PGF2alpha is known to be a potent luteolytic and ecbolic in action. Nutrition and hormones can be used to modify prostaglandin synthesis and release from the body. The primary fatty acids important for animal reproduction are long-chain n-3 fatty acids like eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as well as long-chain n-6 arachidonic acid (AA). While pasture or forage, vegetative cereals like silage, linseed or flaxseed are a good supply of short chain n-3 alpha-linolenic acid, grains, soybean meal, soybean, sunflower and olive oil are excellent sources of short chain n-6 linoleic acid. It has been demonstrated that feeding n-3 PUFA-rich meals can improve farm animal fertility in a number of ways, including by lowering the PGF2alpha-PGE2 ratio. In order to reduce the formation of PG in sheep, cows and pigs and boost the reproductive efficiency of the animals, meals with the proper ratio of n-3 PUFA and n-6 PUFA can be used for a number of objectives.