Failure of conspecific males to prevent the water deprivation-induced disruption of oestrous cycle in laboratory mice.
Chronic water deprivation induced severe disruption of the oestrous cycle in regularly cycling laboratory mice. Most of the water-deprived females became anoestrous from the beginning of water deprivation or after one complete cycle in the initial stages. The presence of a conspecific male was ineffective in preventing the cycle disruption in water-deprived females. The inability of conspecific males to prevent the water deprivation-induced disruption of oestrous cycle in females contrasts with the ability of conspecific males to prevent the diet restriction-induced irregularities in the oestrous cycle in females. It is suggested that as compared with diet restriction, water deprivation induces a greater suppressive effect on the hypothalamo-hypophysial-gonadal axis in females which cannot be removed by the male-originating olfactory cues.
Department of Zoology, Banaras Hindu University Varanasi, India.
S
S
Pandey
C J
CJ
Dominic
D000818:Animals; D004971:Estrus / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010053:Ovary / Q000502:physiology; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D014868:Water Deprivation / Q000502:physiology*