Livestock Studies 2018, Vol 58, Num, 2     (Pages: 123-128)

Reproductive Effects of β-Nerve Growth Factor

Beste Çil ,Ergun Akçay 1

1 Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dölerme ve Suni Tohumlama Anabilim Dalı - Nerve growth factor (NGF), is the first described member of the neurotrophin family and this protein has an approximately 13 kDa molecular weight. Primarily, NGF affects the survival, differentiation and growth of several cells such as stem cell, neutrophil, lymphocyte and monocyte. In addition to that, it can be located in female and male reproductive tissues and various non-neural cells. β-NGF induces the ovulation in induced ovulatory species, besides it functions as a GnRH agonist in sheep, rabbit, cattle, horse, pig, goat, camelids. Its reproductive effects reach beyond the induced ovulation species and cannot be limited solely to female reproduction, it also plays major roles in the male reproductive system. Keywords : β-nerve growth factor, neurotrophin, seminal plasma, ovulation, corpus luteum