Abstract
It was the purpose of this study to test whether inhibition of estrus in the rabbit by short photoperiod could be simulated by subcutaneous implants of the pineal hormone melatonin. By measuring two non-invasive and readily quantifiable correlates of estrus, emission of the so-called nipple-search pheromone and scent-marking behavior (chinning), it was found that:
-
1.
In intact does kept in stimulatory long photoperiod, melatonin suppressed chinning but had no effect on emission of nipple-search pheromone.
-
2.
In intact, melatonin-treated does which were returned from inhibitory short day to stimulatory long day, chinning remained suppressed, whereas pheromone emission increased as for the vehicle-treated, control does.
-
3.
In ovariectomized does, estradiol administration stimulated both pheromone emission and chinning whereas melatonin failed to suppress these effects.
Thus, although the administration of melatonin had an inhibitory effect on chinning it failed to suppress emission of the nipple-search pheromone and therefore failed to fully simulate the effect of short photoperiod on these two correlates of estrus. Several explanations for this discrepancy are considered, including the possibility that melatonin is not the sole mediary of the photoperiodic response, and that at least in female rabbits, other pineal products may also play a significant role.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- OVX :
-
ovariectomized
- M :
-
melatonin
- EB :
-
estradiol benzoate
- L/D :
-
h light/h dark
References
Andersson M, Meurling P, Dahlbäck (1979) Biology of the wild rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, in southern Sweden. I. Breeding season. Swedish Wildl Res (Viltrevy) 11:101–127
Arendt J (1986) Role of the pineal gland and melatonin in seasonal reproductive function in mammals. Oxford Rev Reprod Biol 8:266–320
Badura LL, Yant WR, Nunez AA (1987) Photoperiodic modulation of steroid-induced lordosis in golden hamsters. Physiol Behav 40:551–554
Bittman EL (1984) Melatonin and photoperiodic time measurement: Evidence from rodents and ruminants. In: Reiter RJ (ed) The pineal gland. Raven Press, New York, pp 155–192
Boyd IL (1985) Effect of photoperiod and melatonin on testis development and regression in wild European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Biol Reprod 33:21–29
Boyd IL (1986a) Effect of daylength on the breeding season in male rabbits. Mammal Rev 16:125–130
Boyd IL (1986b) Photoperiodic regulation of seasonal testicular regression in the wild European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). J Reprod Fert 77:463–470
Brainard GC, Matthews SA, Steger RW, Reiter RJ, Asch RH (1984) Daymight variations of melatonin, 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid, serotonin N-acetyltransferase, tryptophan, norephinephrine and dopamine in the rabbit pineal gland. Life Sci 35:1615–1622
Campbell CS, Finkelstein JS, Turek FW (1978) The interaction of photoperiod and testosterone on the development of copulatory behavior in castrated male hamsters. Physiol Behav 21:409–415
De Gallardo MRGP, Tramezzani JH (1975) Hydroxyindole-O-methyl-transferase activity in the pineal gland of the rabbit. J Neural Transm 36:51–57
Distel H, Hudson R (1985) The contribution of the olfactory and tactile modalities to the performance of nipple-search behaviour in newborn rabbits. J Comp Physiol A 157:599–605
Elliott AS, Nunez AA (1992) Photoperiod modulates the effects of steroids on sociosexual behavior of hamsters. Physiol Behav 51:1189–1193
Farrell G, Powers D, Otani T (1968) Inhibition of ovulation in the rabbit: Seasonal variation and the effect of indoles. Endocrinology 8:599–603
González-Mariscal G, Melo A, Zavala A, Beyer C (1990) Variations in chin-marking behavior of New Zealand female rabbits throughout the whole reproductive cycle. Physiol Behav 48:361–365
Hardeland R, Reiter RJ, Poeggeler B, Tan DX (1993) The significance of the metabolism of the neurohormone melatonin: antioxidative protection and formation of bioactive substances. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 17:13–17
Hudson R, Distel H (1983) Nipple location by newborn rabbits: Behavioural evidence for pheromonal guidance. Behaviour 85:260–275
Hudson R, Distel H (1984) Nipple-search pheromone in rabbits: Dependence on season and reproductive state. J Comp Physiol A 155:13–17
Hudson R, Distel H (1990) Sensitivity of female rabbits to changes in photoperiod as measured by pheromone emission. J Comp Physiol A 167:225–230
Hudson R, Vodermayer T (1992) Spontaneous and odour-induced chin marking in domestic female rabbits. Anim Behav 43:329–336
Hudson R, González-Mariscal G, Beyer C (1990) Chin-marking behavior, sexual receptivity and pheromone emission in steroid treated, ovariectomized rabbits. Horm Behav 24:1–13
Kamwanja L, Hauser E (1983) The influence of photoperiod on the onset of puberty in the female rabbit. J Anim Sci 56:1360–1365
McIsaac WM, Taborsky RG, Farrell G (1964) 5-methoxytryptophol: Effect on estrus and ovarian weight. Science 145:63–64
Melo AI, Chirino R, Jiménez-Estrada MA, Cuamatzi E, Beyer C, González-Mariscal G (1993) Localización de las áreas cerebrales donde los esteroides sexuales facilitan la conducta de marcaje por frotamiento del mentón en conejos machos y hembras. XXXVI Congreso Nacional de Ciencias Fisiológicas, Acapulco, México. Abstract C185
Miernicki M, Pospichal MW, Powers JB (1990) Short photoperiods affect male hamster sociosexual behaviors in the presence or absence of testosterone. Physiol Behav 47:95–106
Morgan PJ, Williams LM (1989) Central melatonin receptors: Implications for a mode of action. Experientia 45:955–965
Morin LP, Zucker I (1978) Photoperodic regulation of copulatory behavior in the male hamster. J Endocrinol 77:249–258
Mykytowycz R (1962) Territorial function of chin gland secretion in the rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus L. Nature 193:799
Mykytowycz R (1965) Further observations on the territorial function and histology of the submandibular cutaneous (chin)glands in the rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus L. Anim Behav 13:400–412
Reiter RJ (1980) The pineal and its hormones in the control of reproduction in mammals. Endocrinol Rev 1:109–131
Reiter RJ (1993) The melatonin rhythm: Both a clock and a calendar. Experientia 49:654–664
Siegel S (1969) Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences. McGraw Hill, New York
Scares MJ, Diamond M (1982) Pregnancy and chin marking in the rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus. Anim Behav 30:941–943
Stankov B, Cozzi B, Lucini V, Fumagalli P, Scaglione F, Fraschini F (1991 ) Characterization and mapping of melatonin receptors in the brain of three mammalian species: Rabbit, horse and sheep. Neuroendocrinology 53:214–221
Tamarkin L, Baird CJ, Almeida OFX (1985) Melatonin: A coordinated signal for mammalian reproduction. Science 227:714–720
Underwood H, Goldman BD (1987) Vertebrate circadian and photoperiodic systems: Role of the pineal gland and melatonin. J Biol Rhythms 2:279–315
Walter MR, Martinet L, Moret B, Thibault C (1968) Régulation photopériodique de l'activité sexuelle chez le lapin male et femelle. Arch Anat Histol Embryol 51:773–780
YoungLai EV, Pang SF, Brown GM (1986) Effects of different photoperiods on circulating levels of melatonin and N-acetylserotonin in the female rabbit. Acta Endocrinol 112:145–149
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hudson, R., Melo, A.I. & González-Mariscal, G. Effect of photoperiod and exogenous melatonin on correlates of estrus in the domestic rabbit. J Comp Physiol A 175, 573–579 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00199478
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00199478