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 Barry
P. Fitzgerald, PhD
Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center
Department of Veterinary Science
University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky 40546-0099
Equine Reproduction
The primary activity of my research laboratory is an investigation
of how obesity and associated insulin resistance disrupts
reproductive activity in the mare.
It is now firmly established that in humans and laboratory
animals, obesity is associated with a mild inflammatory response,
characterized by elevated circulating concentrations of inflammatory
cytokines. There is now compelling evidence that the increased
circulating concentrations of inflammatory cytokines play
a major role in the development of insulin resistance.
A research goal of my laboratory is to determine whether
for the horse, dietary-induced obesity is similarly characterized
by a mild inflammatory state and an associated insulin resistance.
This research has involved the development of new procedures
for the measurement of various cytokines and design of experiments
to test the overall hypothesis. In consideration of the fact
that inflammation/immune responses are known to significantly
disrupt reproductive function, information generated from
these studies will impact research in this area.
In addition, we are conducting collaborative research with
researchers at Mississippi State University to determine whether
exposure of pregnant mares to fescue pasture infected with
ergot alkaloids leads to pregnancy loss during the first 100
days of pregnancy. Again the primary focus is whether ergot
alkaloids lead to increased circulating concentrations of
inflammatory cytokines which may be causal to early pregnancy
loss.
Projects
- Fescue Toxicosis
- Development of Strategies to Increase Peripheral Insulin
Responsiveness in Dietary-Induced Insulin Resistant Horses
- Investigation of the Equine Molecular Clock in a Fibroblast
Cell Line, Adipose Tissue and Peripheral Blood
- An Investigation of the Role of Inflammation in Obesity-Related
Insulin Resistance
- The Role of Insulin on Expression and Activity of MMPs
and TIMPs in Equine Follicular Fluid and Granulosa Cells
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