Blank J L, Desjardins C
Am J Physiol. 1985 Feb;248(2 Pt 2):R181-9. doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.1985.248.2.R181.
The reproductive responses of two species of wild rodents, house mice and deer mice, were evaluated following a 30% reduction in food intake for 5 wk. These animal models were chosen as prototypes of other rodent species because each employs unique functional adjustments when confronted with reduced resources in their natural habitats. Modest inanition failed to alter pituitary-testicular function in house mice; neither spermatogenesis nor plasma concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone were modified. In sharp distinction, deer mice exposed to restricted food intake showed significant reductions in plasma LH and testosterone and an accompanying loss in spermatogenesis. Reduced food intake also caused pronounced shifts in the temporal organization and amount of wheel-running activity in both animal models, albeit in a dichotomous fashion. House mice exhibited the same amount of wheel-running activity throughout inanition, but the diel periodicity of locomotor behavior was shifted from the dark to the light period. Deer mice, in comparison, significantly curtailed wheel-running activity during the dark hours but ran in precise phase relationship with the light-dark cycle. Taken together, our results establish that the male reproductive system and its supporting neuroendocrine and behavioral correlates can be disrupted by modest levels of food restriction in certain animal models.
在对家鼠和鹿鼠这两种野生啮齿动物进行了为期5周、食物摄入量减少30%的实验后，评估了它们的生殖反应。选择这两种动物模型作为其他啮齿动物物种的原型，是因为它们在自然栖息地面对资源减少时，各自采用独特的功能调整方式。适度饥饿并未改变家鼠的垂体-睾丸功能；精子发生以及促黄体生成素（LH）和睾酮的血浆浓度均未改变。与之形成鲜明对比的是，食物摄入量受限的鹿鼠血浆LH和睾酮显著降低，同时精子发生减少。食物摄入量减少还导致两种动物模型的跑步活动时间组织和量发生显著变化，尽管方式不同。在整个饥饿期间，家鼠的跑步活动量相同，但运动行为的昼夜周期性从黑暗期转移到了光照期。相比之下，鹿鼠在黑暗时间显著减少了跑步活动，但与明暗周期保持精确的相位关系。综合来看，我们的结果表明，在某些动物模型中，适度的食物限制会扰乱雄性生殖系统及其相关的神经内分泌和行为。
