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Horm Behav

Title:		Effects of male rat urine on reproductive and developmental parameters in the dam and her female offspring
Author(s):		Schank JC; Alberts JR;
Address:		"Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA. jcschank@ucdavis.edu"
Journal Title:		Horm Behav
Year:		2000
Volume:		38
Issue:		2
Page Number:		130 - 136
DOI:		10.1006/hbeh.2000.1612
ISSN/ISBN:		0018-506X (Print) 0018-506X (Linking)
Abstract:		"This study investigated the direct and indirect effects of male Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) urine on reproductive, developmental, and fecundity parameters in the dam and her female offspring. Twenty-two dams and litters were studied: 11 in male urine and 11 in distilled water conditions. Only dams were exposed to male urine (or distilled water) from days 14 to 29 postpartum. Significant effects found for the dams exposed to male urine (compared to those only exposed to distilled water) included (i) the second lactational estrus was delayed by 2 days, (ii) vaginal opening and first estrus were 1 day later for female offspring, (iii) the first estrous cycle after vaginal opening was also shorter for their offspring, and (iv) female offspring subsequently produced larger litters than female offspring from dams only exposed to distilled water. Thus, urine from males had direct effects on the timing of the second lactational estrus in dams and indirect effects (mediated by the dam) on developmental and reproductive parameters of her female offspring. Taken as a whole, these results suggest that pheromones in Norway rats may be complex in their effects, context-dependent, and only fully revealed in ecologically relevant contexts. Further study is required to determine whether these effects occur and have biological functions in natural populations"
Keywords:		"Animals Animals, Newborn/*growth & development Birth Weight/physiology Estrus/physiology Female Litter Size/physiology Male Rats/*urine Rats, Sprague-Dawley Reproduction/*physiology Urine/physiology;"
Notes:		"MedlineSchank, J C Alberts, J R eng 1 F32 HD088188-01/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/ MH 28355/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/ Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. 2000/08/31 Horm Behav. 2000 Sep; 38(2):130-6. doi: 10.1006/hbeh.2000.1612"