Copper and zinc concentrations in the uterine fluid and blood serum during the bovine estrous cycle

To investigate uterine and serum copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) concentrations variation during the bovine estrus cycle , 232 blood and genital tract samples were collected from the abattoir in Urmia. The phase of the estrous cycle was determined by the examination of the ovaries and the uterine tonicity. Of the 46 samples selected for use in the study, 13 were pro-estrus, 10 estrus, 8 metestrus, and 15 diestrus. The uterus was incised and uterine fluid was collected by gentle scraping of the uterine mucosa with a curette. The total mean (± SEM) Cu concentrations in serum and uterine fluid samples, determined by spectrophotometry, were 66.1± 6.5 and 171.3 ± 33.2μg dL-1 respectively, which were significantly different, while total mean serum and uterine fluid Zn concentrations were 91.9 ± 5.4 and 291.6 ± 23.4 μg dL-1, which also showed a significant difference. The mean serum Cu values in different phases of the estrous cycle were not significantly different, while uterine fluid Cu content in pro-estrus and diestrus were significantly higher than those in estrus and metestrus, and were also significantly higher than those of the serum samples. The mean Zn value of serum samples at different stages of the cycle was not significantly different. The mean Zn value of the uterine fluid samples was also not significantly different in different stages, but in pro-estrus, metestrus, and in diestrus they were highly significantly different from those of the serum. These results showed that Cu concentrations in the uterine fluid vary at different stages of the cycle and are higher than those in the blood serum, but, the uterine Zn content does not vary during the estrous cycle and is much higher than those in the serum, that seems to be due to the secretory action of the uterine mucosa.