Reiter R J, Vaughn M K, Blask D E, Johnson L Y
Science. 1974 Sep 27;185(4157):1169-71. doi: 10.1126/science.185.4157.1169.
Exposure of male hamsters to short daily photoperiods (1 hour of light and 23 hours of darkness daily for 9 weeks led to total involution of the testes and accessory sex organs (seminal vesicles and coagulating glands). Pituitary levels of immunoreactive prolaction also decreased by about 60 percent after dark exposure. The inhibitory effects of darkness on the reproductive organs were prevented either by pinealectomy or by the subcutaneous implantation of a melatonin-beeswax pellet into the animals each week. Both pinealectomy and melatonin treatment also returned pituitary levels of prolactin toward normal. The results suggest that melatonin is not the pineal antigonadotrophic factor in the male golden hamster.
雄性仓鼠每天暴露于短光照周期（每天1小时光照和23小时黑暗，持续9周）会导致睾丸和附属生殖器官（精囊和凝固腺）完全退化。黑暗暴露后，垂体中免疫反应性催乳素水平也下降了约60%。松果体切除或每周给动物皮下植入褪黑素-蜂蜡丸均可防止黑暗对生殖器官的抑制作用。松果体切除和褪黑素处理也使垂体催乳素水平恢复正常。结果表明，褪黑素不是雄性金黄仓鼠的松果体抗促性腺激素因子。
