The aim of this study was to evaluate if the cottonseed intake during gestation and lactation affects the ovarian population in ewes and lambs. Therefore, 39 ewes were evaluated during 10 months under two treatments: Cottonseed and soybeans. The quantification of ovarian follicular dynamics was analyzed by ultrasound and the determination of progesterone and estradiol levels was interpreted by radioimmunoassay. After weaning, ovaries of lambs (n = 10) were collected by ovariectomy and fixed for the assessment of follicular parameters as normality, classification, diameter, ultrastructure, stereology, and as well as immunoexpression of the α-estradiol receptor α (ER-α). The results showed that the cottonseed consumption altered neither the ovarian nor the hormonal follicular dynamics of Santa Inês ewes after calving and did not affect the normality, classification, diameter, stereology and follicular ultrastructure of offspring. Nevertheless, the offspring of ewes fed with cottonseed showed high ER-α immunoexpression in the ovarian structures. It is concluded that cottonseed did not affect the maternal-descendant follicular dynamics. However, lambs' ovaries had highest α-ER immunoexpression in oocytes, granulosa and theca cells and corpus luteum. This fact warns of a possible change in the future steroidogenic response of these lambs that had progenitors consuming cottonseed in their reproductive period.

这项研究的目的是评估妊娠和哺乳期间棉籽的摄入量是否会影响母羊和羔羊的卵巢种群。因此，在10个月的两次处理中评估了39头母羊：棉籽和大豆。通过超声分析卵巢滤泡动力学的定量，并通过放射免疫测定法解释孕酮和雌二醇水平的测定。断奶后，羔羊的卵巢（ñ 通过卵巢切除术收集= 10）并固定以评估卵泡参数，如正常，分类，直径，超微结构，立体学以及α-雌二醇受体α（ER-α）的免疫表达。结果表明，食用棉籽既不会改变产犊后的圣诞老人，也不会改变卵巢和荷尔蒙的卵泡动力学，并且不会影响其后代的正常性，分类，直径，体形和卵泡超微结构。然而，饲喂棉籽的母羊的后代在卵巢结构中显示出高的ER-α免疫表达。结论是，棉籽不影响母亲下降的卵泡动力学。然而，羔羊卵巢在卵母细胞，颗粒细胞和卵泡膜细胞以及黄体中的α-ER免疫表达最高。