Effect of Intrauterine Administration of Proteolytic Enzymes on Fertility in Postpartum Crossbred Cows Affected with Subclinical Endometritis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/ijar.2025.46.04.12Keywords:
Crossbred cows, Fertility, Proteolytic enzymes, Subclinical endometritisAbstract
The present study was undertaken to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of intrauterine administration of proteo lytic enzymes with conventional antibiotic therapy and an untreated control, focusing on their effects on cervical mucus characteristics, evidence of PMN cell percentages, recovery and subsequent fertility in crossbred cows afflicted with subclinical endometritis. Group I received intrauterine proteolytic enzyme infusion containing trypsin, chymotrypsin, and papain; Group II received systemic antibiotic ceftiofur sodium intramuscularly for three days; and Group III served as the control group. 87.50% of animals in both Group I and II showed clear thin mucus while Group III animals showed no improvement. The mean spinnbarkeit values after treatment increased significantly in Group I and II. The mean pH values of cervical mucus in Group I and II was 7.12 ± 0.10, whereas Group III retained an alkaline pH (8.00 ± 0.10). The mean percentage of PMN cells recorded significant reductions Group I and II, while Group III remained unchanged after treatment. The first service conception rate among clinically recovered animals was 57.14% in Group I, 42.85% in Group II and 0% in Group III. Though conception rates were comparable between Group I and II, the enzyme group showed slightly higher fertility restoration. The results of the present study suggest that intrauterine administration of proteolytic enzymes improves cervical mucus quality, reduces uterine inflammation, and enhances fertility outcomes in cows with subclinical endometritis.References
Azawi, O. I., Omran, S. N., & Hadad, J. J. (2008). A study of endometritis causing repeat breeding of cycling Iraqi buffalo cows. Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 43(6), 735–743.
Bajaj, N. K., Swamy, M., Agrawal, S., Jain, S. K., Honparkhe, M., & Shrivastava, O. P. (2017). Efficacy of endometrial cytology and ultrasonography for diagnosis of subclinical endometritis in postpartum Murrah buffaloes. Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 87, 287–292.
Chastant, S., & Saint-Dizier, M. (2019). Inflammation: Friend or foe of bovine reproduction? Animal Reproduction Science, 206, 539–547.
Denis-Robichaud, J., & Dubuc, J. (2015). Determination of optimal diagnostic criteria for purulent vaginal discharge and cytological endometritis in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science, 98, 6848–6855.
Desser, L., Sakalova, A., Zavadova, E., Holomanova, D., & Mohr, T. (1997). Concentrations of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors, β2-microglobulin, IL-6 and TNF in serum of multiple myeloma patients after chemotherapy and combined enzyme chemotherapy. International Journal of Immunotherapy, 13(3–4), 121–130.
Drillich, M., Raab, D., Wittke, M., & Heuwieser, W. (2005). Treatment of chronic endometritis in dairy cows with an intrauterine application of enzymes: A field trial. Theriogenology, 63(7), 1811–1823.
Gahlot, S. C., Kumar, S., Kumaresan, A., Chand, S., Baithalu, R. K., Lathika, S., & Mohanty, T. K. (2017). Efficiency of uterine fluid cytology in the diagnosis of subclinical endometritis in the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 52(3), 513–516.
Galvão, K. N., Frajblat, M., Brittin, S. B., Butler, W. R., Guard, C. L., & Gilbert, R. O. (2009). Effect of prostaglandin F2α on subclinical endometritis and fertility in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science, 92(10), 4906–4913.
Gulia, N., Honparkhe, M., Bisla, A., Singh, A. K., & Singh, P. (2022). Intrauterine proteolytic enzyme therapy hastens expulsion of fetal membranes in dystocia-affected buffaloes. Iranian Journal of Veterinary Research, 23(2), 163–168.
Honparkhe, M., Ghuman, S. P. S., Singh, J., Dhindsa, S. S., Kumar, A., Chandra, M., & Brar, P. S. (2014). Diagnosing subclinical endometritis through uterine cytobrush cytology and its treatment with proteolytic enzymes in buffaloes. In Proceedings of the 29th Annual Convention and National Symposium on Frontier Reproductive Biotechnologies for Enhancing Animal Fertility and Fecundity: Global Perspective (pp. 8–10).
Kasimanickam, R., Duffield, T. F., Foster, R. A., Gartley, C. J., Leslie, K. E., Walton, J. S., & Johnson, W. H. (2004). Endometrial cytology and ultrasonography for the detection of subclinical endometritis in postpartum dairy cows. Theriogenology, 62(1–2), 9–23.
Kumar, A., Srivastava, S., Yadav, S. K., Yadav, A. K., Chaudhary, V., & Saurabh. (2018). Haematological study and serum biochemical profile of endometritic repeat breeder cows. Advances in Bioresource, 9, 38–50.
Leite, A. P., Oliveira, B. G., Soares, M. F., & Barrocas, D. L. R. (2012). Use and effectiveness of papain in the wound healing process: A systematic review. Revista Gaúcha de Enfermagem, 33, 198–207.
Makki, M., Ahmadi, M. R., Gheisari, H. R., & Nazifi, S. (2017). Cure rate of postpartum endometritis after different treatments in high-producing dairy cows. Comparative Clinical Pathology, 26(4), 921–928.
Pateria, A. K., & Rawal, C. V. S. (1990). White side test for subclinical metritis in buffaloes. Indian Journal of Animal Reproduction, 11(2), 142–144.
Sarma, D. K., Singh, B., Singh, M. P., Tiwary, B. K., & Sinha, M. P. (2012). Therapeutic use of immunomodulators in endometritic cows and their effect on WBC and RBC indices. Intas Polivet, 13, 26–28.
Sharma, P., & Srivastava, S. (2018). Comparative efficacy of ceftiofur sodium, gentamicin sulfate and Zingiber officinale on physical characteristics of cervical mucus in endometritic buffaloes. Haryana Veterinarian, 57(2), 226–228.
Sheldon, I. M. (2020). Diagnosing postpartum endometritis in dairy cattle. Veterinary Record, 186(3), 88.
Sheldon, I. M., & Dobson, H. (2004). Postpartum uterine health in cattle. Animal Reproduction Science, 82, 295–306.
Shivhare, M., Singh, S., Tayeng, K., & Chakravarti, S. (2018). Endometrial cytology to diagnose subclinical endometritis in cows. International Journal of Agriculture, Environment and Biotechnology, 11, 623–631.
Singh, B., Gupta, H. P., Shivprasad, S., & Singh, G. K. (2018a). Effect of uterine defence modulation on recovery and conception rate in endometritic repeat breeding crossbred cows. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences, Special Issue 7, 105–116.
Singh, H., Brar, P. S., Arora, A., Dhindsa, S., & Honparkhe, M. (2018b). Bacterial presence and fertility in subclinical endometritic buffaloes at oestrus. Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 88, 415–419.
Singh, H., Brar, P. S., Singh, N., Jan, M. H., Honparkhe, M., & Dhindsa, S. S. (2020). Effects of intrauterine infusion of proteolytic enzymes on selected cytokine concentrations, uterine inflammation, and fertility in postpartum water buffalo cows with subclinical endometritis. Animal Reproduction Science, 215, 1–9.
Singh, J., Honparkhe, M., Ghuman, S. P. S., Kumar, A., Dhindsa, S., & Chandra, M. (2017). Intrauterine proteolytic enzyme therapy for subclinical endometritis in dairy cattle. Indian Journal of Animal Reproduction, 38(1), 1–3.
Singla, P., Singh, J., Dhaliwal, G. S., & Kumar, A. (2004). Effect of post-AI intrauterine treatment with E. coli lipopolysaccharide and autologous serum on characteristics of cervico-vaginal mucus in subclinical endometritic cows. Indian Journal of Animal Reproduction, 25, 55–57.
Singuru, C. (2014). Therapeutic management of endometritis in graded Murrah buffalo cows (Bubalus bubalis) using certain immunomodulators. M.V.Sc. thesis, Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University, Tirupati.
Snedecor, G. W., & Cochran, W. G. (1989). Statistical methods (8th ed., pp. 71–82). Iowa State University Press, Ames.
Verma, K. K., Prasad, S., Kumaresan, A., Mohanty, T. K., Layek, S. S., Patbandha, T. K., & Chand, S. (2014). Characterization of physico-chemical properties of cervical mucus in relation to parity and conception rate in Murrah buffaloes. Veterinary World, 7(7), 467–471.
Wald, M., Olejar, T., Sebkova, V., Zadinova, M., Boubelik, M., & Pouckova, P. (2001). Mixture of trypsin, chymotrypsin and papain reduces formation of metastases and extends survival time of C57BL/6 mice with syngeneic melanoma B16. Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology, 47, S16–S22.
Zaben, S. N., Jyothi, K., Anusha, K., & Raghunath, M. (2024). Intrauterine proteolytic enzyme therapy abates PMN cell count in buffaloes suffering clinical endometritis. International Journal of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, 9(3), 285–288.
