GnRH-immunocastration: an alternative method for male animal surgical castration

Chun Wang; Cuiting Yang; Yutian Zeng; Ming Zhang

doi:10.3389/fvets.2023.1248879

GnRH-immunocastration: an alternative method for male animal surgical castration

Front Vet Sci. 2023 Oct 31:10:1248879. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1248879. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Chun Wang¹, Cuiting Yang¹, Yutian Zeng¹, Ming Zhang^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.
² Key Laboratory of Livestock and Poultry Multi-Omics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.
³ Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.

Abstract

Castration of male animals is intended to produce high-enhance quality of animal meat, prevent unpleasant taste, reduce aggressive behavior, and manage overbreeding. Over the years, Tranditional methods of mechanical and surgical castration have been employed over the years, but they fall short of meeting animal welfare requirements due to the associated risk of infection, pain, and stress. Immunocastration, specifically Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-immunocastration, targeting the hypothalamic-pituitary-testis (HPT) axis, has emerged as an animal-friendly alternative to surgical castration, effectively addressing these issues. This review seeks to systematically summarize the principles, development, current applications and challenges of GnRH-immunocastration, offering insights into its role in promoting animal welfare.

Keywords: GnRH; animal welfare; immunocastration; male animal; surgical castration.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This research was supported by National Key Research and Development Projects of China (2021YFD1600200).