Behavioral Assessment Reveals GnRH Immunocastration as a Better Alternative to Surgical Castration

Castration is often employed in animal management for reproductive control. However, it is important to evaluate its impact on animal welfare. In this study, we developed rat models for both surgical (n = 6) and GnRH immunocastration (n = 6) to assess the effects of these castration methods on physiological and behavioral characteristics. The novel GnRH-based vaccine significantly increased serum GnRH antibody levels and drastically reduced testosterone, with the testes shrinking to one-fifth the size of those in the control group, thereby halting spermatogenesis at the secondary spermatocyte stage. Behavioral evaluations demonstrated that sexual behavior was significantly suppressed in both surgically and immunologically castrated groups compared to the control, confirming the effectiveness of both methods. However, psychological tests revealed significant signs of depression and social deficits in the surgically castrated group, whereas the behavior of the GnRH-immunocastrated group did not significantly differ from the control. Furthermore, no significant differences in learning and memory were observed among the three groups in the water maze test. Compared to surgical castration, GnRH immunocastration offers effective results and better animal welfare, providing a more humane alternative for livestock management.