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Ambient temperature and pregnancy influence cortisol levels in female guinea pigs and entail long-term effects on the stress response of their offspring.

Abstract：

:Mammals generally respond to the important metabolic requirements imposed by thermoregulation and pregnancy by increasing plasma concentrations of glucocorticoid that promote the mobilization of body reserves and enhance energy use by tissues. This study examined the impact of distinct ambient temperatures and reproductive status on cortisol plasma levels in female guinea pigs (Cavia aperea f. porcellus). We also examined cortisol profiles of their offspring. Forty adult females were placed in individual boxes, 20 were exposed to a neutral thermal regime (mean ambient temperature 22.1 ± 1.5 °C) and 20 were maintained under a cool thermal regime (15.1 ± 1.5 °C). Within each treatment, 12 females were pregnant and 8 were non-pregnant. Pregnancy generated a marked elevation of baseline cortisol. Ambient temperature also affected cortisol concentrations. Compared to the pregnant females from the neutral thermal regime, pregnant females maintained under cool conditions exhibited lower baseline levels of cortisol, were less active, but they displayed a greater stress response (i.e. rapid increase of plasma cortisol) following handling. Thermal treatment did not influence reproductive output, reproductive effort, or offspring characteristics. This suggests that pregnant female guinea pigs cope with cool (but not extreme) thermal conditions by reducing activity and baseline cortisol levels, possibly to save energy via an adaptive response. Interestingly, the greater amplitude of the stress response of the cool regime females was also observed in their offspring 2 months after parturition, suggesting that hormonal ambience experienced by the individuals in utero shaped their stress response long after birth.

journal_name

Gen Comp Endocrinol

journal_title

General and comparative endocrinology

authors

Michel CL,Chastel O,Bonnet X

doi

10.1016/j.ygcen.2011.02.007

subject

Has Abstract

pub_date

2011-05-01 00:00:00

pages

275-82

issue

eissn

0016-6480

issn

1095-6840

pii

S0016-6480(11)00057-8

journal_volume

171

pub_type

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Ambient temperature and pregnancy influence cortisol levels in female guinea pigs and entail long-term effects on the stress response of their offspring.