Biochemical isolation and purification of ovulation-inducing factor (OIF) in seminal plasma of llamas

Table 1 Ovulation-inducing effect of protein fractions of llama seminal plasma (preliminary trial).

	PBS	Whole SP	Fraction A	Fraction B	Fraction C₁	Fraction C₂
Follicle diameter (mm) at treatment* (mean ± SEM)	9.7 ± 0.4	9.3 ± 0.6	11.0 ± 0.7	10.4 ± 0.5	9.6 ± 0.8	10.0 ± 0.7
Ovulation rate (%)	0/4^a (0%)	4/4^b (100%)	0/4^a (0%)	0/4^a (0%)	0/4^a (0%)	4/4^b (100%)

Female llamas (n = 4 per group) were given whole seminal plasma (SP, positive control), Fractions A or B (isolated by hydroxylapatite column chromatography), Fractions C₁ or C₂ (isolated by gel filtration chromatography), or phosphate buffered saline (PBS, negative control).
* No significant differences among groups.
^a,b Proportions with different superscripts are different (P < 0.03).

ISSN: 1477-7827