Biochemical and Endocrine Profiling of Bosnia and Hercegovina's Native Pramenka Sheep

The aim of this investigation is to determine changes in concentrations of biochemical and metabolic hormones in the blood of Pramenka sheep. The study included 117 sheep of Pramenka breed monitored during three different periods (July, August, September) from Livno and Travnik (Vlašic) areas. The following biochemical parameters were determined in sheep blood samples: glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, total protein, albumin, urea, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), were performed by spectrometric analyzer (Kodak Ektachem, analyzer DT 60 II, DTSC Modul and DTE Modul). In sheep blood serum determined the following hormones by ELISA values: triiodothyronine, thyroxine, cortisol, and insulin. Hormonal status of test animals was relatively stable during periods of sampling, but significant differences have been confirmed based on locality, with the exception of cortisol. The lack of statistical significance of differences for cortisol between areas of Livno and Travnik can be due to stress caused by collecting blood samples which have equally increased cortisol levels and “concealed” all other factors that affect its level in the serum. High concentrations of thyroid hormones, particularly in sheep from the locality of Livno, can be a sign of decreased appetite, which is one of the earliest disorders in conditions of heat stress. In both areas, high insulinemia was determined as well, possibly as a result of feeding which significantly changed the hormonal regulation of metabolism in lactation process and led towards stimulation of the endocrine pancreas.