Faraji Jamshid, Ambeskovic Mirela, Sauter Nevyn, Toly Jaxson, Whitten Kera, Lopes Nayara Antunes, Olson David M, Metz Gerlinde A S
Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Front Neurosci. 2022 Jul 22;16:965500. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2022.965500. eCollection 2022.
Important factors influencing the outcome of animal experiments in preclinical research are often overlooked. In the current study, the reaction of female and male rats toward the biological sex of a human experimenter was investigated in terms of anxiety-like behaviors and physiological stress responses, as measured by infrared (IR) thermography, circulating corticosterone (CORT) and oxytocin levels. Female rats displayed consistently exacerbated anxiety-related behaviors along with elevated body surface temperature during repeated exposure to male experimenters. Experimental stress further intensified thermal responses to a male experimenter, especially in female rats. The behavioral responses to a male experimenter in females were associated with higher circulating CORT and lower oxytocin levels. Similar responses were induced by a T-shirt worn by a human male. The findings suggest that psychophysiological responses of female rats to a male experimenter are influenced by both visual and olfactory cues. The results emphasize the need to not only consider sex differences in experimental animals, but also standardize and report the experimenter's biological sex to avoid ambiguity in the generation and interpretation of results.
临床前研究中影响动物实验结果的重要因素常常被忽视。在当前的研究中，通过红外热成像、循环皮质酮（CORT）和催产素水平来衡量，对雌性和雄性大鼠针对人类实验者生物性别的焦虑样行为和生理应激反应进行了研究。在反复接触男性实验者的过程中，雌性大鼠始终表现出加剧的焦虑相关行为以及体表温度升高。实验应激进一步加剧了对男性实验者的热反应，尤其是在雌性大鼠中。雌性大鼠对男性实验者的行为反应与循环CORT水平升高和催产素水平降低有关。人类男性穿着的T恤也会引发类似反应。研究结果表明，雌性大鼠对男性实验者的心理生理反应受到视觉和嗅觉线索的影响。结果强调不仅需要考虑实验动物的性别差异，还需要规范并报告实验者的生物性别，以避免结果产生和解释中的模糊性。
