The objective of this experiment was to study the progesterone plasma concentrations in crossbred heifers, and the correlation with lipid metabolites concentrations. Twenty-six heifers were distributed into two treatments: T1 - treated with 500 mg sometribove zinc (recombinant bovine somatotropin) on day 3 of superovulated estrous cycle and T2 - control. The blood samples were collected during two estrous cycles: normal and superovulated one. The progesterone and metabolic lipids concentrations were determined by RIA and enzymatic method, respectively. The experimental period of the superovulated estrous cycle was divided into three periods: P1 = from estrus to artificial insemination (0 to 15th day); P2 - from artificial insemination to embryo collection (15th to 21st day) and P3 - from embryo collection to the end of the experiment (21st to 27th day). Plasma progesterone concentration differed between the two treatments during P1, but did not during P2 and P3. Progesterone concentration was greater than 60 ng/mL in superovulated heifers. The total plasma cholesterol and HDL concentrations were different between the two treatments, during P2 and P3. There were no correlations among the lipid metabolites and progesterone concentrations during the estrous cycles.
HDL; progesterone; somatotropin; superovulation; total cholesterol
