The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during cryopreservation of semen alters the sperm motion and mobility characteristics, resulting in poor or failure of conception rate after artificial insemination (AI). Melatonin an antioxidant is able to modulate the effect of ROS and prevents spermatozoa by reducing the oxidative stress during freezing process. Eight ejaculates from eight healthy HF bulls diluted with Tris egg yolk glycerol extender were divided into five equal aliquots. The Computer Assisted Semen Analyser (CASA) results showed no significant difference between the control—post‐ thaw samples and melatonin‐treated samples; however, the velocity of spermatozoa with regard to the VAP, VSL showed highest increase in the 0.25 mM MLT‐treated semen followed by 0.1 mM MLT treated semen except for VCL where velocity increased with increase in the concentration of melatonin. The vigour of spermatozoa regard to BCF, STR and LIN recorded highest increase in the 0.25 mM MLT treated semen followed by 0.1 mM MLT‐treated semen except for the ALH where vigour increased with increase in the concentration of melatonin. The electron micrography images illustrated that the addition of 0.1 mM melatonin protected the plasma membrane and acrosome region and maintained the ultrastructure integrity of the cryopreserved spermatozoa when compared to control group, whereas the electron micrography of spermatozoa treated with 0.2 and 0.25 mM melatonin illustrated highest damage to the plasma and acrosome membrane. Thus concluding that inclusion of melatonin to sperm extender can improve the post‐thaw quality of cryopreserved bull spermatozoa.

Pheromones are found throughout the living world and are a primal form of communication. These chemical messengers are transported outside the body and have a direct developmental effect on hormone levels and/or behaviour. The pheromones play an important role in animal behavior and reproductive processes. This review article aims to highlight the role of pheromones of farm animals. The pheromone signals are known to have a potential role in animal reproduction and management. The sources of chemosignals are urine, feces, vaginal secretions, saliva, and specialized scent glands including the odor produced from hair and wool. Pheromones can act as a marker to detect estrus where its detection is a problem and for diagnosing early pregnancy in farm animals. The potential implication of pheromones on improving sexual desire in male is also important. There is huge scope of application of pheromones once it is characterized and synthesized chemically.

Background: Buffaloes have the highest potential for production due to a promising gene pool that is being enhanced and upgraded. Mastitis is a significant health impediment that greatly diminishes milk yield and quality, affecting rural farmers’ livelihoods. The traditional gold standard used for diagnosing mastitis or subclinical mastitis is CMT, but it has the drawback of false positive or negative results. Subclinical mastitis, if not treated promptly, can lead to mammary tumors. To address the gap in early diagnosis of subclinical mastitis in CMT-negative milk of buffaloes, we performed a retrospective analysis and evaluated the milk miRNA expression profiles as potential biomarkers. Results: Thirty buffalo milk samples based on clinical signs and CMT were divided into normal, subclinical, and clinical mastitis. SCC evaluation showed significant differences between the groups. The data analysis demonstrated that the elevation of miR-146a and miR-383 differed substantially between normal, subclinical, and clinical mastitis milk of buffaloes with 100% sensitivity and specificity. The relationship of SCC with miR-146a and miR-383 in normal/healthy and subclinical mastitis was positively correlated. Conclusion: The overexpression of miR-146a and miR-383 is associated with inflammation. It can be a valuable prognostic and most sensitive biomarker for early mastitis detection in buffaloes with SCC below 2 lakhs and CMT-ve, enhancing the accuracy of subclinical mastitis diagnosis.

Our research on the expression and characterization of exosomal miRNAs in buffalo milk, particularly in the context of healthy, sub-clinical mastitis and pasteurized milk, is a novel contribution to the field. We are the first to investigate the expressions of miRNAs and the characterization of exosomes in boiled and pasteurized milk. This study is based on clinical signs and CMT, where twenty buffalo milk samples were divided into normal and sub-clinical mastitis and a third group of ten commercial pasteurized milk. The SCC differed significantly (p < 0.001) in all the groups before boiling. The data analysis demonstrated elevated differential expression of miR-148a and miR-186 in sub-clinical mastitis and pasteurized milk compared to normal milk before and after boiling. The positive correlation between SCC and miR-148a and miR-186 expression indicates their potential as robust biomarkers for sub-clinical mastitis in buffaloes. The miR-148a and miR-186, known to play roles in various diseases like cancer, can withstand commercial pasteurization and boiling, raising the intriguing possibility of transferring through milk exosomes. This finding underscores the need for clean milk production and the importance of understanding the mechanisms of miRNA transfer between species, which is crucial for the future of animal health and milk production.

The anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) enhances fertility in cattle and hence used as a fertility marker. AMH is produced by granulosa cells of all primordial, primary, secondary follicles, and antral follicles up to 4-5 mm diameter, whereas AMH production decreases once antral stage follicles reach the 4-5 mm stage. There is an individual variation in antral follicle count (AFC) and AMH concentration. One-time determination of AMH concentration will help predict the animals’ reproductive performance at the heifer stage. In turn, it will help to cull those animals with low reproductive potential. There is no significant fluctuation in the AMH concentration during the estrous cycle, and hence it can be determined at any stage of the estrous cycle. This review explores the potential of AMH as a fertility marker and its association with the antral follicle population (AFP) as AMH can be an effective segregative tool to screen low, average or high fertility future performance in cattle.