title: Strange-male-induced pregnancy disruption in mice: reduction of vulnerability by 17 beta-estradiol antibodies.
abstract: It is well-established that novel males can disrupt early pregnancy in house mice. Inseminated female C57BL mice were either left undisturbed or each exposed indirectly to a novel HS male through a wire-mesh grid during days 1-6 of pregnancy. Varied dosages of antibodies to 17 beta-estradiol were administered to females exposed to males. Vehicle-treated females exposed to novel males showed fewer litters than did nonexposed controls. Male-exposed females given 1 ml daily of the antibody showed rates of pregnancy comparable to those observed in controls. These data suggest that estrogen levels might play a role in strange-male-induced pregnancy disruptions, converging with evidence implicating estrogens in stress-induced pregnancy blocks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: de Catanzaro
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Muir
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000502:physiology*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006234:Handling, Psychological; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000523:psychology*; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D004958:Estradiol