Lance V A, Elsey R M
J Exp Zool. 1986 Aug;239(2):241-6. doi: 10.1002/jez.1402390211.
In order to test the effect of acute stress on gonadal hormone secretion in reptiles, six mature male alligators were captured, and a blood sample was taken within 5 min of capture. Additional blood samples were taken at timed intervals for up to 41 hr, and plasma testosterone and corticosterone were measured by radioimmunoassay. Plasma testosterone declined to 50% of the initial value by 4 hr and dropped to less than 10% of initial by 24 hr. Plasma corticosterone increased during the first 12 hr, declined at 24 hr, and rose again at 40 hr. Blood samples from male alligators collected in North and South Carolina, south Florida, and in south Louisiana in two consecutive breeding seasons were also assayed for testosterone and corticosterone. In these populations there were significant differences in mean plasma testosterone and corticosterone levels. Elevated corticosterone levels were consistently seen in alligators caught in traps and from which a blood sample was taken several hours later. Plasma testosterone, although consistently lower in trapped alligators, did not show a negative correlation with plasma corticosterone. Farm-reared alligators bled once, released, and bled again at 24 hr also showed a highly significant suppression of testosterone secretion. These results demonstrate that stress has a rapid and dramatic effect on testicular steroid secretion in both farm-reared and wild alligators.
为了测试急性应激对爬行动物性腺激素分泌的影响，捕获了6只成年雄性短吻鳄，并在捕获后5分钟内采集血样。每隔一定时间采集额外的血样，最长持续41小时，并用放射免疫分析法测定血浆睾酮和皮质酮。血浆睾酮在4小时内降至初始值的50%，在24小时时降至初始值的10%以下。血浆皮质酮在最初12小时内升高，在24小时时下降，在40小时时再次上升。还对在北卡罗来纳州和南卡罗来纳州、佛罗里达州南部以及路易斯安那州南部连续两个繁殖季节采集的雄性短吻鳄血样进行了睾酮和皮质酮检测。在这些种群中，血浆睾酮和皮质酮的平均水平存在显著差异。在陷阱中捕获并在数小时后采集血样的短吻鳄中，皮质酮水平始终升高。血浆睾酮虽然在被困短吻鳄中始终较低，但与血浆皮质酮没有负相关。农场饲养的短吻鳄放血一次后释放，24小时后再次放血，也显示出睾酮分泌受到高度显著的抑制。这些结果表明，应激对农场饲养和野生短吻鳄的睾丸类固醇分泌都有快速而显著的影响。
