Prolactin in the Horse Historical Perspective, Actions and Reactions, and Its Role in Reproduction》.pdf

Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 35 (2015) 343 –353 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Equine Veterinary Science journal homepage: Review Article Prolactin in the Horse: Historical Perspective, Actions and Reactions, and Its Role in Reproduction Donald L. Thompson Jr. *, Erin L. Oberhaus School of Animal Sciences, Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, LSU AgCenter, Baton Rouge, LA a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Article history: Prolactin is a hormone with diverse biological effects in various species. The secretion of Received 16 February 2015 prolactin in horses is affected by season, thyrotropin-releasing hormone, dopaminergic Accepted 19 March 2015 and antidopaminergic agents, exercise and stressful stimuli, meal feeding, estrogen Available online 8 April 2015 treatment, and antiopioidergic agents. The need of prolactin for mammary growth and lactation in mares has been elucidated from research on endophyte-infected fescue Keywords: grazing and its associated problems in late gestation. This has led to the development of Prolactin treatments for fescue toxicity and protocols for inducing lactation in nonpregnant mares. Season Dopaminergic Treatment with prolactin has demonstrated that it is involved with the shedding of the Hair shedding