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The University of Tennessee

The College of Veterinary Medicine

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Faculty

Hugo Eiler, D.V.M., M.S., Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Comparative Medicine
College of Veterinary Medicine
The University of Tennessee
2407 River Drive
Knoxville, TN 37996
Phone: (865) 974-5821
FAX: (865) 974-2215
Email

Education

  • D.V.M., University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
  • M.S., University of Georgia
  • Ph.D., University of Illinois, Urbana

Teaching

  • Veterinary Physiology (veterinary curriculum)
  • Disorders of the Endocrine System (graduate program)
  • Animal Physiology (graduate program)

Research Interests

We focused our research in two areas: reproduction and veterinary endocrinology. In terms of reproduction, we are investigating how the fetus signals the mother that it is time for delivery. This involves the identification of endocrine signals, where they originate, and the way they function. The core of our working hypothesis is that the fetal intestine produces a horome-like substance (serotonin) capable of regulating pregnancy. Serotonin is secreted into fetal blood from the fetal intestine. During pregnancy, fetal serotonin promotes the growth of placenta. However, at the end of gestation, there is a withdrawal of serotonin from fetal blood which causes arrest of placental growth and placenta detachment. A partial failure of this mechanism may cause retention of placenta in the postpartum female. Identification of the site of failure may allow is to develop a new treatment for retained placenta not only in cows and mares, but also in women. This kind of research involves laboratory work with cell culture systems, cell proliferation assays, histochemistry, biochemistry, isolated organs, cows, sheep, and laboratory animals. In the area of veterinary endocrinology, we concentrate our effort on the development of diagnostic techniques for the identification of pituitary gland tumors that may affect the functioning of the adrenal axis and pancreas in dogs and horses. This research implies collaboration with clinicians and an endocrine laboratory.

Publications

  • Del Corral P., T. Sampedro, M. Hartsell, E.T. Howley, M.S. Younger, H. Eiler, and B. Law (1999). Reduced cortisol potentiates the exercise-induced increase in corticotrop into a greater extent in trained compared with untrained men. Metabolism 48:1-6.
  • Fecteau, K.A. and H. Eiler (1998). Evaluation of inhibitory effects of Doxorubicine on collagenase using a bovine placentome model. In Vivo 12:485-488.
  • Fecteau, K.A. and H. Eiler (1998). The potential of collagenase as a new therapy for separation of human retained placenta: hydrolityc potency on human, equine, and bovine placentae. Placenta 19:379-383.
  • Haffner, J.C., K.A. Fecteau, J.P. Held, and H. Eiler (1998). Equine retained placenta: tolerance to intraplacental injection of collagenase. Theriogenology 49:711-717.
  • Eiler H., J. Oliver, F.M. Andrews, and K.A. Fecteau (1997). Results of a combined dexamethasone suppression/thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test in healthy horses and horses suspected to have a pars intermedia pituitary adenoma. J Am Vet Med Assoc 211:79-81.
  • Eiler, H., P.Y. Wan, N. Valk, and K.A. Fecteau (1997). Prevention of retained placenta by injection of collagenase into umbilical arteries of calves delivered by cesarean section: atolerance study. Theriogenology 48:1147-1152.
  • Eiler, H. (1997). Retained placenta, in Current Therapy in Large Animal Theriogenology. R.S. Youngquiat, Editor, WB Saunders Co., pp. 340-349.