Active immunization against GnRH in pre-pubertal domestic mammals: testicular morphometry, histopathology and endocrine responses in rabbits, guinea pigs and ram lambs 

Pedro M. Aponte, llevó a cabo, junto con otros investigadores, un estudio básico interespecies para el abordaje de la contracepción no quirúrgica en animales domésticos y producto de una colaboración del Área de Biotecnología Animal del COCIBA y la Escuela de Veterinaria con el Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agraria y Veterinaria de Portugal y la Universidad Técnica de Cotopaxi de Ecuador.

Effective tools for male contraception are important in the control of reproduction in animal populations. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of active immunization against gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) on male reproductive function assessing testicular morphological changes and serum-gonadotropin levels in pre-pubertal rabbits, guinea pigs and ram lambs. An anti-GnRH vaccine was developed by linking a GnRH-homologous molecule to a tetanus clostridial toxoid (Al(OH)3 coadjuvant).