Concentrations of L-ergothioneine in follicular fluids of farm animals

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentration of L-ergothioneine in follicular fluid of some domestic farm animals, such as mare, sheep, goat, sow, and unweaned lamb. The group of unweaned lambs was the cluster with the lowest mean concentration (0.12±0.06 μmol/L), while the mares showed the highest mean values (3.16±1.27 μmol/L). The mean levels in the sheep and goats were similar (0.72± 0.21 vs. 0.73±0.50 μmol/L), while the mean values in the sows were slightly higher (1.04±0.37 μmol/L) than the other two groups. Except for sheep vs. goats, the differences in the concentrations of L-ergothioneine between animal groups were statically significant. After grouping data according to the follicular diameter, a not statistically significant trend of increase of L-ergothioneine levels with the rise of follicular diameter was observed in sheep, goats, and unweaned lambs while an opposite tendency was observed in mares.