Leptin in milk and plasma of dairy asses

Abstract

Milk and plasma leptin levels have been studied in dairy asses machine milked according to two different routines: 20 pregnant, pluriparous asses, were divided into two groups subjected, every 28 d for 150 d, to two consecutive milkings carried out at different intervals, i.e. 20 vs. 4 hours interval, respectively for group A and group B. During the study, the declining total milk obtained by machine milking was unaffected by the different milking strategies; body condition score of asses as well did not vary between the groups. Different milking intervals did not significantly influence skimmed milk leptin content neither plasma leptin level. Moreover, we did not find significant variation in plasma leptin neither correlation with BCS, indicating that in donkey pregnancy inhibits the cross talk between hypothalamus and adipose tissue.