Popis: |
This study examined the effects of surgical castration and lidocaine-plus-meloxicam treatment on growth, physiology, behaviors, and leukocyte heat shock protein 90 (HSP 90) gene expression in Hanwoo (Korean cattle) bulls. Twenty Hanwoo bulls (body weight 248.8 ± 28.5 kg, age 9.4 ± 1.04 months) were assigned to three treatments: surgical castration with lidocaine injection (5 mL in the scrotum) and oral meloxicam administration (1 mg/kg body weight; LM; n = 7); surgical castration with placebo injection (5 mL of 0.9% NaCl) and oral placebo administration (lactose, 1 mg/kg body weight; CAS; n = 7); and shame castration (SHAM; n = 6). Meloxicam and lactose were administered 3 h before castration, and lidocaine and NaCl were injected immediately before castration. Surgical castration was performed with a Newberry knife and a Henderson castration tool. Wight was measured the day before and 14 d after castration, and behavior was observed from 0.5 h to 4.5 h post-castration. Blood was collected at −1 d, 0.5 h, 6 h, 1 d, 3 d, 7 d, and 14 d after castration to measure plasma cortisol, haptoglobin, and leukocyte HSP 90 mRNA. Castration tended to decrease average daily gain (p = 0.06), but the LM treatment did not affect weight gain. Bulls in CAS showed higher cortisol concentration (p |