Key Laboratory of Weed and Rodent Biology and Management, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Beijing, 100193, China.
Physiol Behav. 2011 Oct 24;104(5):1024-30. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.06.024. Epub 2011 Jul 7.
The theoretical, ecological, physiological, and mathematical aspects of fertility control in mammals have already been well studied, but little attention has been given to the behavioral effects, especially in rodents. We investigated the effects of quinestrol, a synthetic estradiol analog, on social behavior and reproductive physiology in male Brandt's voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii). Over seven successive days, four concentration gradients of quinestrol (none, 0.001%, 0.003%, and 0.006%) were separately mixed into feed and provided to male Brandt's voles. Reproductive parameters, including the reproductive organ indexes, testosterone level and reproductive ability, were observed and collected 2 weeks after finished feeding treatment and again after 4 weeks. Dyadic social encounters and female preferences were then recorded for the control males (no quinestrol) and the highest concentration group (0.006%). Results showed that quinestrol reduced the consumption of feed. Physiological data revealed that quinestrol had also effectively reduced the reproductive organs indexes, testosterone levels, female pregnancy rates and litter size. This phenomenon was especially evident in the highest concentration group only after 2 weeks of feeding. Behavioral results showed that both frequency and duration of female preference were unbiased between control and treated males. In social conflict tests, control pairs (CC) had lower latency toward initial attack than treated pairs (TT) and pairs of one control and one treated male (CT). Among the three pairs, there was no evident difference in patterns of mutual attack and agonistic behavior. In CT pairs, sterile males have the same winning rate and agonistic behavior as control males. Our data revealed that quinestrol has anti-fertility capabilities with little behavioral side effects on Brandt's voles, which suggested quinestrol's potential as a sterilant for Brandt's voles. The palatability, however, should be improved before field practice.
哺乳动物的生育控制在理论、生态、生理和数学方面已经得到了很好的研究，但对行为影响的关注较少，特别是在啮齿动物中。我们研究了合成雌激素类似物己烯雌酚对雄性布氏田鼠（Lasiopodomys brandtii）社会行为和生殖生理的影响。在连续 7 天的时间里，我们将 4 个浓度梯度的己烯雌酚（无、0.001%、0.003%和 0.006%）分别混入饲料中，提供给雄性布氏田鼠。在完成喂养处理后的 2 周和 4 周后，我们观察和收集了生殖参数，包括生殖器官指数、睾酮水平和生殖能力。然后，我们记录了对照组（无己烯雌酚）和最高浓度组（0.006%）雄性的对偶社交接触和雌性偏好。结果表明，己烯雌酚降低了饲料的消耗量。生理数据显示，己烯雌酚还有效降低了生殖器官指数、睾酮水平、雌性妊娠率和产仔数。这种现象在仅喂养 2 周后，在最高浓度组中尤为明显。行为结果表明，在控制雄性和处理雄性之间，雌性偏好的频率和持续时间没有偏差。在社会冲突测试中，对照组（CC）的初始攻击潜伏期比处理组（TT）和一只控制雄性和一只处理雄性的配对（CT）低。在这三对中，相互攻击和争斗行为的模式没有明显差异。在 CT 对中，不育雄性与控制雄性具有相同的获胜率和争斗行为。我们的数据表明，己烯雌酚具有抗生育能力，对布氏田鼠的行为影响较小，这表明己烯雌酚可能成为布氏田鼠的绝育剂。然而，在实际应用前，应提高其适口性。
