Goldsmith A R
J Endocrinol. 1982 Jul;94(1):51-9. doi: 10.1677/joe.0.0940051.
Concentrations of prolactin were measured in the plasma of male and female canaries serially sampled during repeated breeding cycles. Concentrations in female canaries were low during nest building and increased significantly (P less than 0.05) during the first few days of incubation. Levels increased further (P less than 0.01) in the middle of the incubation period to reach concentrations which were ten times higher than before breeding. Levels remained high for several days after the eggs hatched, as the young were fed in the nest. Prolactin concentrations declined gradually as the young were reared, reaching basal levels by the time the young were fledged, but always increased again in the females as they began incubating eggs in subsequent breeding cycles. Male canaries, which do not incubate but do assist in feeding the young, showed only slight increases in prolactin during the parental period. Male and female canaries which did not breed had low levels of prolactin throughout the experiment. The results show that prolactin secretion is high not only during incubation but also during the parental feeding phase in an altricial passerine bird. These findings are discussed in relation to the different patterns of prolactin secretion which occur during breeding in other birds.
在重复繁殖周期中对雄性和雌性金丝雀进行连续采样，测量其血浆中的催乳素浓度。雌性金丝雀在筑巢期间催乳素浓度较低，在孵化的头几天显著升高（P<0.05）。在孵化中期浓度进一步升高（P<0.01），达到比繁殖前高十倍的浓度。卵孵化后，由于在巢中喂养幼鸟，催乳素浓度在几天内保持高位。随着幼鸟的成长，催乳素浓度逐渐下降，幼鸟离巢时降至基础水平，但在雌性金丝雀随后的繁殖周期开始孵卵时，催乳素浓度总会再次升高。不参与孵卵但协助喂养幼鸟的雄性金丝雀，在育雏期催乳素仅略有升高。在整个实验过程中，未繁殖的雄性和雌性金丝雀催乳素水平较低。结果表明，催乳素分泌不仅在孵化期间很高，而且在晚成鸟的育雏喂养阶段也很高。结合其他鸟类繁殖期间出现的不同催乳素分泌模式对这些发现进行了讨论。
