Citation: Pidlubnyi O., Napnenko O, Bezvin Ye. (2026) Study of the effect of sex hormone inhibitors on the condition of the aorta in turkeys during sexual maturation. VeterinaryBiotechnology,48, 146-160. https://doi.org/10.31073/vet_biotech48-11
PIDLUBNYI O., 1Postgraduate Student, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5175-0237
NAPNENKO O,2 Cand. Sci. (Vet. Med.), This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1763-8564
BEZVIN YE.3Leading veterinary doctor This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,
1 – Sumy National Agrarian University
2 – NationalUniversityofLifeandEnvironmentalSciencesofUkraine
3 – State Research Institute for Laboratory Diagnostics and Veterinary and Sanitary Expertise
STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF SEX HORMONE INHIBITORS ON THE CONDITION OF THE AORTA IN TURKEYS DURING SEXUAL MATURATION
Introduction.The study is devoted to the evaluation of the effect of ketoconazole as an inhibitor of steroidogenesis and functional sexual maturation on the physiological state, productivity, and cardiovascular health of Hybrid Converter turkeys. The relevance of this work is determined by the high prevalence of sudden aortic rupture in industrial turkey production, which occurs during periods of intensive growth and sexual maturation and is associated with significant economic losses. It was established that the formation of intimal cracks in the aortic wall coincides with hormonal reorganization of the turkey organism and an increase in testosterone levels, which is considered a key trigger of degenerative vascular changes.
The goal of the work. The aim of the study was to determine the productive and pathomorphological effects of ketoconazole when used during the final fattening period.
Materials and methods. The study material included turkeys from control and experimental groups; birds in the experimental group received ketoconazole at 90–120 days of age. Live body weight, flock survival rate, and carcass market quality were assessed, and a pathomorphological examination of the aorta was performed with analysis of the nature and depth of intimal lesions.
Results of research and discussion. It was found that ketoconazole administration led to a statistically significant increase in live body weight of turkeys by 13.9% compared with the control group (17.2 kg versus 15.1 kg), a reduction in mortality due to abdominal aortic rupture, and a decrease in the severity of vascular damage. In the experimental group, fewer and less pronounced intimal cracks of the aorta were observed, along with improved carcass appearance, manifested by more intense meat coloration and improved skin condition.
Conclusionsandprospectsforfurtherresearch. The obtained results indicate that ketoconazole positively affects turkey productivity and ensures protection of vascular wall integrity by modulating the hormonal background during the critical period of sexual maturation. This effect is important for stabilizing technological performance indicators and reducing the risk of sudden mortality under industrial poultry farming conditions.
Keywords: turkeys, ketoconazole, sudden aortic rupture, sexual maturation, pathological changes, cardiovascular system.
References
1. Pidlubnyi, O. (2025). Sudden death in turkeys due to abdominal aortic rupture: pathomorphological features and economic impact. Scientific Messenger of LNU of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies. Series: Veterinary Sciences, 27(119), 9-17. https://doi.org/10.32718/nvlvet11902
2. Pidlubnyi, O. (2025). Pathomorphological changes in the abdominal aorta of turkeys during puberty: intimal lesions as an early marker of the risk of atherosclerosis and arterial rupture. Scientific Messenger of LNU of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies. Series: Veterinary Sciences, 27(120), 121-128. https://doi.org/10.32718/nvlvet12015
3. Jacob J. External Anatomy of Turkeys. University of Kentucky, Poultry Extension. 2025. Available from: https://poultry.extension.org/articles/poultry-anatomy/external-anatomy-of-turkeys/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
4. Cecil HC, Bakst MR. (1991) Correlations of organ weights, hematocrit, and testosterone with sexual maturity of the male turkey. Poultry Science.;70(5):1252–1257. doi:10.3382/ps.0701252 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1852698/
5. Firwan NNZ, Akmal M, Masyitha D, Salim MN, Jalaluddin M, Siregar TN. (2021) Histology and Histomorphometry of Testes in Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) Based on Age Level. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Veterinary, Animal, and Environmental Sciences (ICVAES 2020). Advances in Biological Sciences Research. 215–220. doi:10.2991/absr.k.210420.046
6. Cheng M-F, Alexander K, Zhou S, Bonder E, Chuang L-S. (2011) Newborn GnRH neurons in the adult forebrain of the ring dove. Hormones and Behavior.;60(1):94–104. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.03.008 https://scholars.mssm.edu/en/publications/newborn-gnrh-neurons-in-the-adult-forebrain-of-the-ring-dove-2/
7. Watanabe M, Fukuda A, Nabekura J. The role of GABA in the regulation of GnRH neurons. Front Neurosci. 2014 Nov 28;8:387. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00387. PMID: 25506316; PMCID: PMC4246667. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25506316/
8. Ubuka T, Bentley GE, Tsutsui K. Neuroendocrine regulation of gonadotropin secretion in seasonally breeding birds. Front Neurosci. 2013 Mar 25;7:38. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2013.00038. PMID: 23531789; PMCID: PMC3607074 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23531789/
9. Bordallo J, Cantabrana B, Suárez L, Sánchez M. (2011) Testosterone inhibits cAMP-phosphodiesterases in heart extracts from rats and increases cAMP levels in isolated left atria. Pharmacology.;87(3–4):155–160. doi:10.1159/000324172. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21372618/
10. Serrero G, Lepak NM, Hayashi J, Eisinger DP. Effect of testosterone on the growth properties and on epidermal growth factor receptor expression in the teratoma-derived tumorigenic cell line 1246-3A. Cancer Res. 1992 Aug 1;52(15):4242-7. PMID: 1638538. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1638538/
11. de Rooij J, Zwartkruis FJ, Verheijen MH, Cool RH, Nijman SM, Wittinghofer A, Bos JL. (1998) Epac is a Rap1 guanine-nucleotide-exchange factor directly activated by cyclic AMP. Nature. Dec 3;396(6710):474-7. doi: 10.1038/24884. PMID: 9853756.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9853756/
12. Bers DM. (2002) Cardiac excitation-contraction coupling. Nature. 2002 Jan 10;415(6868):198-205. doi: 10.1038/415198a. PMID: 11805843. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11805843/
13. Berridge MJ. (2016) The Inositol Trisphosphate/Calcium Signaling Pathway in Health and Disease. Physiol Rev. Oct;96(4):1261-96. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00006.2016. PMID: 27512009. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27512009/
14. Zhang X, Zhang L, Zhang L, et al. Testosterone regulates smooth muscle contractile pathways in rat aorta. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2011;301(5):E1041–E1049. doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00458.2011. https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/ajpendo.00458.2011
15. Delles C, Touyz RM. (2015) Sex differences in the renin–angiotensin system. Circulation Research. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/circresaha.116.303587
16. Xu Y, et al. Testosterone downregulates angiotensin II type-2 receptor expression. Journal of the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System. 2016. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1470320316674875
17. Mishra JS, More A, Kumar S. Testosterone plays a permissive role in angiotensin II-induced hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy in male rats. Biol Reprod. 2019. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6335213/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6335213/
18. Singh P, Song CY, Dutta SR, Pingili A, Shin JS, Gonzalez FJ, Bonventre JV, Malik KU. 6β-Hydroxytestosterone Promotes Angiotensin II-Induced Hypertension via Enhanced Cytosolic Phospholipase A2α Activity. Hypertension. 2021 Sep;78(4):1053-1066. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.121.17927. Epub 2021 Aug 23. PMID: 34420370; PMCID: PMC8415516. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34420370/
19. Rosendorff C. The renin-angiotensin system and vascular hypertrophy. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1996 Oct;28(4):803-12. doi: 10.1016/s0735-1097(96)00251-3. PMID: 8837552. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8837552/
20. Liao W, Huang W, Guo Y, Xin M, Fu X. (2013) Testosterone promotes vascular endothelial cell migration via enhancing ROCK-2/myosin cascade. Molecular Biology Reports. 2013;40:6235–6242. doi:10.1007/s11033-013-2788-8
21. Davis JP, Salmon M, Pope NH, Lu G, Su G, Meher A, Ailawadi G, Upchurch GR Jr. (2016) Pharmacologic blockade and genetic deletion of androgen receptor attenuates aortic aneurysm formation. J Vasc Surg. Jun;63(6):1602-1612.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jvs.2015.11.038. Epub 2016 Jan 24. PMID: 26817611; PMCID: PMC4884130. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26817611/
