Prior Nora H, Yap Kang Nian, Adomat Hans H, Mainwaring Mark C, Fokidis H Bobby, Guns Emma S, Buchanan Katherine L, Griffith Simon C, Soma Kiran K
Zoology Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne, Neuro-PSI/ENES CNRS UMR 9197, Saint-Etienne, France.
J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2016 Jan;202(1):35-44. doi: 10.1007/s00359-015-1050-3. Epub 2015 Nov 26.
Here, we studied the life-long monogamous zebra finch, to examine the relationship between circulating sex steroid profiles and pair-maintenance behavior in pairs of wild-caught zebra finches (paired in the laboratory for >1 month). We used liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to examine a total of eight androgens and progestins [pregnenolone, progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), androstenediol, pregnan-3,17-diol-20-one, androsterone, androstanediol, and testosterone]. In the plasma, only pregnenolone, progesterone, DHEA, and testosterone were above the limit of quantification. Sex steroid profiles were similar between males and females, with only circulating progesterone levels significantly different between the sexes (female > male). Circulating pregnenolone levels were high in both sexes, suggesting that pregnenolone might serve as a circulating prohormone for local steroid synthesis in zebra finches. Furthermore, circulating testosterone levels were extremely low in both sexes. Additionally, we found no correlations between circulating steroid levels and pair-maintenance behavior. Taken together, our data raise several interesting questions about the neuroendocrinology of zebra finches.
在此，我们研究了终生一夫一妻制的斑胸草雀，以探讨在实验室中配对超过1个月的野生捕获斑胸草雀对中，循环性类固醇谱与配偶维持行为之间的关系。我们使用液相色谱 - 串联质谱法检测了总共8种雄激素和孕激素[孕烯醇酮、孕酮、脱氢表雄酮（DHEA）、雄烯二醇、孕烷 - 3,17 - 二醇 - 20 - 酮、雄酮、雄烷二醇和睾酮]。在血浆中，只有孕烯醇酮、孕酮、DHEA和睾酮高于定量限。雄性和雌性的性类固醇谱相似，只有循环孕酮水平在两性之间存在显著差异（雌性>雄性）。两性的循环孕烯醇酮水平都很高，这表明孕烯醇酮可能作为斑胸草雀局部类固醇合成的循环前体激素。此外，两性的循环睾酮水平都极低。此外，我们发现循环类固醇水平与配偶维持行为之间没有相关性。综上所述，我们的数据提出了几个关于斑胸草雀神经内分泌学的有趣问题。
