LHRHa-induced ovulation of the endangered-Caspian brown trout (Salmo trutta caspius) and its effect on egg quality and two sex steroids: testosterone and 17α-hydroxyprogestrone

Abstract

To induce synchronized ovulation, migrating wild Caspian brown trout (Salmo trutta caspius) females were treated with two interperitoneal injections of Des-Gly10, d-Ala6 LHRH (LHRHa), given 3 days apart. Two injections of 100 μg kg−1 body weight of this hormone effectively induced ovulation. Within 27 days from the second injection, all fish injected with 100 μg kg−1 LHRHa had ovulated compared with 54.5% of the controls. The mean time to ovulation was reduced significantly (P<0.05) from 31.67±4.84 days in control fish and 28.83±7.31 days in sham-treated fish to 16.36±1.61 days in fish injected with 100 μg kg−1 LHRHa. The fertilization rate in 50 and 100 μg kg−1 LHRHa-injected fish was significantly lower than that in the control fish (P<0.05). In fish injected with 50 and 100 μg kg−1 LHRHa, significant (P<0.05) changes in testosterone (T) and 17α-hydroxyprogestrone (OHP) levels were observed. After the second LHRHa injection, the fish injected with 100 μg kg−1 showed the highest serum levels of testosterone and OHP. These results demonstrate that the use of LHRHa can effectively reduce the mean time to ovulation and induce synchronized ovulation in Caspian brown trout.