Adrenocorticotropic hormone-induced secretion of cortisol in goats is inhibited by androgen

In a previous study, it was found that there are sex differences in goats with respect to the levels of cortisol secretion induced by transportation stress. We also found that treatment of castrated male goats with dihydrotestosterone (DHT) suppressed the increase in plasma cortisol concentration following transportation, but did not suppress the secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). This suggests that androgen might block ACTH ‐ induced cortisol secretion. In order to examine this hypothesis, the effects of androgen on ACTH‐induced cortisol secretion in goats were investigated. First, castrated male goats were treated with testosterone (T), DHT or cholesterol (cho) for 21–25 days. Cho was used as a control for T and DHT treatment. Then, plasma cortisol concentrations were compared among the hormonal treatments after ACTH injection. Subsequently, the distribution of androgen receptors in the caprine adrenal gland was investigated. There were no differences in the basal cortisol concentrations among the hormonal treatments. However, plasma cortisol concentrations after ACTH injection were significantly lower in T ‐ and DHT ‐ treated goats than in cho ‐ treated goats. Androgen receptors were present in 60% of the cells in the zonae fasciculata and reticularis of the adrenal cortex, the regions that secrete glucocorticoids. These results suggest that androgen may act directly on the adrenal cortex to suppress cortisol secretion induced by ACTH.     

Comparison of environmental conditions in two representative oyster farming areas: Hiroshima Bay,western Japan and Oginoham a Bay (a branch of Ishinomaki Bay), northern Japan

ABSTRACT:   Sea water environmental conditions over annual cycles were investigated and compared between two oyster farming areas, western Hiroshima Bay and Oginohama Bay (a branch of Ishinomaki Bay) in Miyagi Prefecture, to appropriately manage oyster culture or more efficiently utilize farming areas. The environmental parameters of temperature, salinity, nutrient concentrations (NO₂–N, NO₃–N, NH₄–N, PO₄–P, and SiO₂–Si) and size-fractionated chlorophyll- a (<0.2, 2–20, >20µm), and abundances of microzooplankton were measured in each bay at the surface, and 2 and 5 m depth layers. Differences in the annual mean values and results with monthly paired Student's t -tests showed that salinity was lower, and temperature, nutrient (especially PO₄–P) and chlorophyll- a concentrations, and abundance of microzooplankton, were higher in Hiroshima Bay than in Oginohama Bay. Differences in environmental conditions between inshore and offshore areas of each bay suggest that inflows of river water in western Hiroshima Bay and sea water from offshore had the most significant effects on the environmental conditions. It is concluded that such oceanographic and biological differences strongly affect the oyster farming system, especially regarding the optimum usage of offshore areas in Summer under clean, cold and stable seawater conditions, rather than food quantity in Hiroshima Bay, and under more abundant food conditions in Oginohama Bay.     

Characterization of the goldfish fecal microflora by the fluorescent in situ hybridization method

ABSTRACT:   Bacterial populations in goldfish feces were characterized by the fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) method. A total of nine different group-specific rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes were used. Approximately half of the microbial cells (57.8 ± 16.7%) were detected with a probe EUB338 and found to be bacteria. The microbial cells in 33–35 of the 35 samples from five specimens strongly hybridized with probes ALF1b, BET42a and GAM42a, suggesting that goldfish intestinal bacteria are mainly composed of α, β and γ-subclasses of Proteobacteria. The fact that a probe AER66 reacted with 25.6 ± 14.2% of the total microbial cells in all 35 samples, demonstrated that genus Aeromonas was the dominant species in the goldfish intestines. Genus Bacteroides including Bacteroides type A detected with a probe BAC303 was observed in 15 of 35 samples while other taxonomic groups determined with HGC69a, CF39a and P72 were detected in 6–11 of 35 samples. These results strongly suggest that Bacteroides shows the greatest daily fluctuation and interindividual variation in the intestines of goldfish. Moreover, the FISH method was proven to be useful for rapid enumeration of taxonomic groups of fish intestinal bacteria.     

Effect of 3-O-octanoyl-(+)-catechin on the responses of GABA(A) receptors and Na+/glucose cotransporters expressed in xenopus oocytes and on the oocyte membrane potential

Recently, 3-O-octanoyl-(+)-catechin (OC) was synthesized from (+)-catechin (C) by incorporation of an octanoyl chain into C in the light of (-)-epicatechin gallate (ECg) and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), which are the major polyphenols found in green tea and have strong physiological activities. OC was found to inhibit the response of ionotropic gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors (GABA(A) receptors) and Na+/glucose cotransporters expressed in Xenopus oocytes in a noncompetitive manner more strongly than does C. OC also induced a nonspecific membrane current and decreased the membrane potential of the oocyte, and thus death of the oocyte occurred even at lower concentrations than that induced by C or EGCg. Although EGCg produced H2O2 in aqueous solution, OC did not. This newly synthesized catechin derivative OC possibly binds to the lipid membrane more strongly than does C, Ecg, or EGCg and as a result perturbs the membrane structure.     

Effect of catechins on mutagenesis of Salmonella typhimurium TA 102 elicited by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BuOOH)

Green tea, one of the most popular beverages consumed in Asian countries, has been reported to possess anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic properties. The aim in this study is to test the radical scavenging effect of catechins and caffeine, which were major components of green tea, and if they really prevent oxygen radical-induced mutagenesis. We used TA102 strain of Salmonella typhimurium which is sensitive to hydroxyl radical in the Ames mutation assay. We found that caffeine did not show any effects on mutagenesis in this system, but catechin significantly reduced mutagenesis or genotoxicity caused by hydroxyl radical. This radical-scavenging action of catechins may indeed contribute to the anticarcinogenic activity of green tea as has been proposed.     

Development of spermatogenic function in the sex maturation process in male cats

The spermatogenic function and plasma testosterone (T) level in the sex maturation process were investigated as to 180 mixed breed cats ranging from 4 months to 2 years in age to be castrated. Testis/epididymis weights reached a peak at 10 and 8 to 9 months of age, respectively. In the testis, sperm appeared at 5 months of age. At 7 months of age, sperm were observed in 96.2% of the cats. In the tail of the epididymis, sperm appeared in 46.9% of the cats at 6 months of age and in all cats at 8 or more months of age. Furthermore, the mean plasma T level rapidly increased at 8 months of age, and reached a peak (2.64 +/- 0.68 (SE) ng/ml) at 10 months of age. Three of 180 cats (1.67%) had unilateral cryptorchidism. These results suggest that the spermatogenic function in male cats becomes mature at 8 to 10 months of age.     

Muscle tissue kinetics of oxytetracycline following intramuscular and oral administration at two dosages to giant freshwater shrimp (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)

The giant river shrimp (Macrobrachium rosenbergii), a native species of Thailand, is either exported for commercial purposes or supplied to meet the local requirements in Thailand. Limited pharmacokinetic information of the major antibiotic, oxytetracycline (OTC), is available for this freshwater shrimp. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the muscle tissue kinetics of OTC in M. rosenbergii following either intramuscular (i.m.) or oral (p.o.) administration at two dosages of 11 and 22 mg/kg body weight (b.w.). The concentration of OTC in shrimp tissues was measured using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with a fluorescence detector. Muscle tissue concentrations were below the detection limit (LOD, 0.1 μg/g) after 96 and 120 h, following i.m. and p.o. administration, respectively. Peak muscle concentrations (C_max) were 3.47 and 1.73 μg/g after i.m. and p.o. administration at a single dose of 11 mg/kg b.w. whereas they were 6.03 and 2.51 μg/g at a single dose of 22 mg/kg b.w., respectively. A noncompartment model was developed to describe the pharmacokinetics of OTC in the giant freshwater shrimp. The terminal half‐lives of OTC were 28.68 and 28.09 h after i.m. and p.o. administration at a single dose of 11 mg/kg b.w., but 29.95 and 27.03 h at a single dose of 22 mg/kg b.w., respectively. The relative bioavailability was 82.32 and 64.67% following i.m. and p.o. administration, respectively. Based on the pharmacokinetic data, i.m. and p.o. administration with OTC at a dose of 11 mg/kg b.w. would be appropriate for use in giant freshwater shrimp farming. To avoid the OTC residue in shrimp muscle, it should take at least seven half‐lives (8 days) to wash out the drug from the muscle of M. rosenbergii.     

Short-term transportation in a small vehicle affects the physiological state and subsequent water consumption in goats

We investigated the physiological effects on goats of transportation for one hour in a small truck. We also investigated food and water consumption after transportation. Eight adult goats (four castrated males and four ovariectomized females) were used. Plasma levels of cortisol, glucose and free fatty acids increased significantly within 15 min of the start of transportation, and these higher levels were maintained throughout transportation. These results indicate that transportation in a small truck activates the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic nervous system in goats. Despite activation of the sympathetic nervous system, heart rate (HR) in subjected animals during transportation did not differ from during the control animals, which were housed in their usual pen. However, after the transportation had ended and the goats started to eat fodder, HR increased significantly. There was no difference in the amount of food consumption between the control and transported goats. Water consumption in the first three hours after transportation was significantly lower in the transported goats than in the controls for the equivalent period. In the subsequent three hours, however, the transported goats consumed more water than the controls. Consequently, the total water consumption of the transported goats did not differ from that of the controls during the six hours after transportation. In conclusion, short-term transportation with a small vehicle activated the HPA axis and the sympathetic nervous system in goats. HR was not increased during transportation, but after the transportation had ended HR in transported goats was higher than that in control goats. After transportation, goats had consumed the same amount of food as control goats, but water consumption during three hours after the transportation was lower than that of control goats.     

Molecular sexing of Jungle crow (Corvus macrorhynchos japonensis) and Carrion crow (Corvus corone corone) using a feather

A molecular sexing method using the intron‐size difference between chromo‐helicase‐DNA binding protein (CHD1) genes on the Z and W sex chromosomes (CHD1Z and CHD1W, respectively) was developed for wild Jungle crows and wild Carrion crows. The polymerase chain reaction product sizes were 661 bp for CHD1Z and 465 bp for CHD1W in both the Jungle and the Carrion crows. Each male crow sample produced a single fragment (CHD1Z), whereas female samples produced two fragments (CHD1Z and CHD1W), which differed by 200 bp in crows. In the present study, sexing live Jungle and Carrion crows was performed by applying the method to a feather for molecular sexing.