BigPatents India

The invention presented in the title "Estrus indicating urinary pheromones in buffaloes" has enlightened some novel information pertaining to chemical characterization of buffalo urine with special reference to estrous cycle. The identified volatile compounds were screened with bull behaviours and confirmed the estrus specific compounds. The bull pre-mating behaviours were assessed in response to consecutive estrous cycle as well as in dummy cow sprayed with the urine of different reproductive phases. It is obvious that pheromonal communication involves in the detection of estrus by bull. Flehmen, a unique behaviour shown by bull, it can be used as bioindicator for monitoring the estrous cycle. The pre-mating behaviour such as penis erection and mounting were found to be significant when exposed to estrus buffaloes. Similar trend was also noted in dummy cows sprayed with estrus urine. The detection of estrus using bulls in herds is difficult for farmers. Hence, the present study suggests that the identification of specific compound(s) would be more reliable for estrus detection. Fourteen different urin'4fY volatiles are identified throughout the estrous cycles which include phenol, ketone, alkane, alcohol, amide, acid and aldehyde. Among the volatile compounds like l-chlorooctane (I), 4-methyl phenol (II) and 9-octadecenoic acid (III) present exclusively in the estrus urine and absent in other phases. The present ~ndings give additional support in favour of identifying the estrus phase by detecting urin'4fY pheromonal compounds. It is important to note that the urin'4fY volatiles identified in the natural estrus are comparable to that seen in synchronized estrus urine. It indicates that the estrus specific volatiles can be excreted in the urine irrespective of buffaloes in natural or synchronized estrus. The biological importance of the presence of these estrus specific volatiles in relation to conception was verified. The success of pregnancy was assessed in females followed by coitus in natural estrus and artificial insemination in synchronized estrus females and those females brought to animal husbandry by farmers. A significant finding in the present study is that those animals that exhibited estrus naturally and excreted these three volatiles in the urine followed by male and become pregnant. Likewise, those females which had induced estrus by synchronization excreted the three volatiles invariably, become pregnant following insemination. In females brought to animal husbandry for artificial insemination, in few cases (animal no 6,7 &8) only two volatiles l-chlorooctane and 9-octadecenoic acid, were identified and they became pregnant following insemination. It is possible that these two volatile compounds may have long lasting effect in the estrus phase or may be produced in the mid/late estrus and are more close to the ovulation. The bioactivity has convincingly confirmed that the 4-methyl phenol is found to be involved to attract the bull, on the other hand, 9-octadecenoic acid caused highly significant penis erection and mounting behaviour. Another estrus specific volatile, l-chlorooctane, may act along with other estrus specific compounds in initiating the bull behavioural response and also identifying the estrus phase. The present invention concludes that the volatiles identified in the estrus urine of buffalo act as pheromonal compounds and provides an idea to make a biochemical kit for potentially useful and practical way to detect the estrus phase.