BACKGROUND: The knowledge in blood constituents is
important for assessing the physiological status and the health of
animals. Only a limited number of two-humped camels (Camelus
bactrianus) were reared in Ardabil province, northwest of Iran.
OBJECTIVES:The present study was carried out to find out whether
the sex and pregnancy affect thyroid hormones, lipid and
lipoprotein profile, and selected biochemical factors in healthy
Iranian Bactrian camels. METHODS:The evaluated herd contained
twenty clinical healthy Bactrian camels, aged between four and
thirteen years. Six of them were non-pregnant, five in the late period
of pregnancy, and nine were male camels. Blood samples (10 mL)
were collected from the jugular vein of camels in spring 2013 during
two consecutive days. All samples were centrifuged at 3000× rpm
for 15 min and sera were refrigerated at -21°C until analysis.
Thyroid function tests were carried out by measuring serum levels
of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free and total thyroxin
(fT4), (T4), and free and total triiodothyronine (fT3), (T3) by
commercially available radio immunoassay kits. The biochemical
parameters were measured using a standard autoanalyser
(Hitachi717, Boehringer. Mannheim, Germany). RESULTS: The
levels of fT4, HDL-Cholesterol, ALP, and glucose in the sera of
pregnant camels were significantly lower than the male and nonpregnant
camels. The serum levels of other parameters were not
significantly different among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The
present study revealed that heavy pregnancy has a profound effect
on certain serum biochemical parameters in Bactrian camels.