title: Oxidative stress in a capital breeder (Vipera aspis) facing pregnancy and water constraints.
abstract: The physiological mechanisms underlying the 'cost of reproduction' remain under debate, though oxidative stress has emerged as a potential candidate. The 'oxidative cost of reproduction' has received considerable attention with regards to food and antioxidant availability; however, the limitation of water availability has thus far been neglected. In this study, we experimentally examined the combined effect of pregnancy and water deprivation on oxidative status in a viviparous snake (Vipera aspis), a species naturally exposed to periods of water and food deprivation. We predicted a cumulative effect of pregnancy and dehydration on oxidative stress levels. Our results support the occurrence of an oxidative cost of reproduction as we found higher oxidative damage levels in pregnant females than in non-reproductive individuals, despite an up-regulation of antioxidant defences. Surprisingly, water deprivation was associated with an up-regulation of antioxidant defences, and did not increase oxidative damage, either alone or in combination with reproduction.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK antoine.stier@gmail.com andreaz.dupoue@gmail.com.|Université d'Angers, Angers 49000, France.
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5445-5524
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stier
authors.affiliation: CNRS UPMC, UMR 7618, iEES Paris, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 7 Quai St Bernard, Paris 75005, France antoine.stier@gmail.com andreaz.dupoue@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Andréaz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dupoué
authors.affiliation: Université d'Angers, Angers 49000, France.
authors.forename: Damien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Picard
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS Université de La Rochelle UMR 7372, La Rochelle, Villiers en Bois 79360, France.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Angelier
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS Université de La Rochelle UMR 7372, La Rochelle, Villiers en Bois 79360, France.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brischoux
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS Université de La Rochelle UMR 7372, La Rochelle, Villiers en Bois 79360, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lourdais
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D003681:Dehydration; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology; D015854:Up-Regulation; D017819:Viperidae / Q000502:physiology*; D052286:Viviparity, Nonmammalian / Q000502:physiology*; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D014867:Water
keywords: Antioxidant; Cost of reproduction; Dehydration; Oxidative damage; Oxidative shielding; Water deprivation