Vaginal bacterial flora partially determines sexual attractivity of female rats

Urinary Proteins of Female Domestic Dog (Canis familiaris) during Ovarian Cycle

The presence and identity of non-volatile chemical signals remain elusive in canines. In this study, we aim to evaluate the urinary proteins of female domestic dogs in the estrus and anestrus phases to evidence the presence of non-volatile chemical signals and to elucidate their identities. We collected urine samples from eight female dogs in the estrus and anestrus phases. A total of 240 proteins were identified in the urine samples using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS analysis). The comparison of the proteins revealed a significant difference between the estrus and anestrus urine. We identified proteins belonging to the lipocalin family of canines (beta-lactoglobulin-1 and beta-lactoglobulin-2, P33685 and P33686, respectively), one of whose function was the transport of pheromones and which was present only in the estrus urine samples. Moreover, proteins such as Clusterin (CLU), Liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 (LEAP2), and Proenkephalin (PENK) were more abundant in the estrus urine when compared to the anestrus urine. LEAP2 was recently described as a ghrelin receptor antagonist and implicated in regulating food intake and body weight in humans and mice. Proenkephalin, a polypeptide hormone cleaved into opioid peptides, was also recognized as a candidate to determine kidney function. As of yet, none of these have played a role in chemical communication. Clusterin, an extracellular chaperone protecting from protein aggregation implicated in stress-induced cell apoptosis, is a plausible candidate in chemical communication, which is a claim that needs to be ascertained further. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with the identifier PXD040418.

The Case of Atypical Sexual Attractiveness in a Male Domestic Dog-A Case Study

During the ovarian cycle in domestic dogs, females do not accept males during the first days of estrus but become attractive to males from the beginning of proestrus, with this attractiveness persisting until the end of the estrus phase. It is believed that increased estradiol is responsible for the female attractiveness to the males. In this paper we describe the case of strong, but atypical attractiveness of a castrated male to various, adult, intact males, influenced by the emitted semiochemical signals. Any significant changes in the level of hormones typically involved in the process connected with estrus and responsible for sexual arousal in the males were assessed. The case animal was a 4 year old castrated male Border Collie that was extremely attractive to various males, which presented high levels of sexual arousal, with intensive sniffing and licking of the preputial area, specific vocalization, increased salivation and, finally, mating attempts. Clinical examination of the castrated male revealed a lack of testes in the scrotum and abdominal cavity confirmed by USG. Laboratory tests indicated basal levels of estradiol, testosterone, and progesterone (15.23 pg/mL, <0.05 ng/mL, 0.25 ng/mL), and sex was confirmed via cytogenetic and molecular analysis. Chemical analysis (HS-SPME) of the urine indicated a huge similarity to the profile obtained from a bitch in estrus, with an elevated level of acetophenone, which has been previously postulated in the literature as being a characteristic of the estrus phase in female domestic dogs. This case presented very atypical sexual attractiveness, particularly when taking into account the basal levels of hormones which, according to current knowledge, are responsible for the creation of attractiveness. As a hypothesis requiring verification, we propose the idea of involvement of other hormones in the creation of incidental attractiveness or increased production of compounds responsible for attractiveness (sex pheromones) resulting from metabolic events unrelated to reproductive processes. To our knowledge it is the first described case presenting this phenomenon, which, with more detailed study, could shed new light on the process of creation of sexual attraction in the domestic dog.

Significance of cervico-vaginal microbes in bovine reproduction and pheromone production - A hypothetical review

The vaginal microbiota has been studied in animal reproduction and fertility, in particular little information of vaginal microbes in reference to bovine reproduction and pheromone production is known. The vaginal mucosa in healthy cow is colonized by an equilibrated and dynamic composition of aerobic, facultative anaerobic and obligate anaerobic microbes. Cervico-vaginal mucus (CVM) composition, viscosity and volume vary with the cyclicity and health status of the reproductive tract. In addition, CVM contains pheromones, volatile compounds, and proteins that attract males for coitus. Commensal microbiota plays a key role in protection of the genital tract from pathogenic microbes by competition effect. In the bovine species, the microbial composition, its abundance and diversity in the female gut, vagina, urine, saliva, and feces, and the associated chemical communication remains poorly documented. The impact of microbes in the reproductive tract of cow, buffalo and certain mammals are discussed in this review. Since the microbial population diversity of CVM is modified during estrus phase it presumes that it may have a role for pheromone production in conspecific. Herein, we would like to critically discuss the current state of knowledge on microbially produced signals in animals and the role of genital and CVM microbiota in estrous cycle and pregnancy.

The influence of antibiotic treatment of bitches in oestrus on their attractiveness to males during mating

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the antibiotic treatment, including the mode of drugs administration, on bitches’ attractiveness to the stud dogs during mating. Moreover, we tried to estimate the possibility of aversive effect of the drug vehicle on the male behavior. In experiment I, four bitches in oestrus without antibiotic treatment (group A), four bitches treated with intravaginal antibiotic (group B) and four bitches treated with intramuscular antibiotic (group C) were presented to four stud dogs. In experiment II, bitches in oestrus (n=5) were presented to the males (n=2) before and after the application to the females’ vulva the antibiotic carrier - Miglyol 840 (Sasol, Germany). In both experiments the presence of the typical sexual behavior of the males (sniffing, licking the vulva and anal region, mating attempts) was evaluated. In experiment III the reaction of the males to the samples containing oestrual discharge from the bitches untreated and treated with antibiotics was evaluated. In the last part of study the aversion reaction to the samples containing antibiotic and the antibiotic carrier was evaluated. The results of experiments showed that females treated with the antibiotics were less attractive to males than untreated females, regardless of the method of administration. We did not observe adverse effect of the antibiotic carrier but samples from the bitches treated with antibiotics were significantly less attractive to the males. We concluded that the reason for reduced attractiveness of the bitches in oestrus after antibiotic treatment was the changes in semiochemical signal emitted by treated females as a consequence of elimination of the vaginal bacterial flora, which seems to be involved in creation of the typical, recognizable by the stud dogs, oestrual signal but also by the possible covering effect of used drugs.

Changes in the aerobic vaginal bacterial mucous load after treatment with intravaginal sponges in anoestrous ewes: effect of medroxiprogesterone acetate and antibiotic treatment use

Intravaginal sponges (IS) impregnated with progestagens are widely used for oestrous synchronization in ewes. As progestogens depress the immuno response, the first aim was to determine whether medroxiprogesterone acetate (MAP) content affects the vaginal bacteria number (VBN) in IS-treated anoestrous ewes. The second aim was to compare the effectiveness of different antibiotic treatments to control the VBN increase caused by IS. In both experiments, IS were inserted during 14 days in anoestrous ewes. In the first, 11 ewes received commercial sponges (50 mg MAP), and 10 ewes received placebo sponges. For the second experiment, IS were inserted in three groups (n = 12/group), containing oxytetracycline im (20 mg/kg); injected into the sponge (0.02 mg), or control (no antibiotic). At sponge withdrawal, all ewes received 300 UI eCG. Mucous samples were collected from the vagina before sponge insertion, at sponge withdrawal, 24, 48 and 72 h later, and the VBN (colony-forming units per ml; CFU/ml) was counted after 48-h incubation. Medroxiprogesterone content did not affect VBN (log CFU/ml: 4.3 ± 0.2 vs 4.4 ± 0.2 with and without MAP, respectively). Bacterial number increased from 3.5 ± 0.2 at sponge insertion to 6.9 ± 0.1 at sponge withdrawal (p < 0.0001) and decreased the following day to 4.3 ± 0.2 (p < 0.0001). In the second experiment, VBN increased at sponge withdrawal (p < 0.0001) in all groups and decreased the following day (p < 0.0001). The CFU/ml at sponge withdrawal was lower in ewes treated with antibiotics (p < 0.0001), being even lower when local rather than systemic antibiotic was administered (log CFU/ml: 3.3 ± 1.8 vs 7.2 ± 1.8). The day of oestrous VBN was similar for all treatments and similar to that observed before sponge insertion. We concluded that MAP does not influence the increase in VBN, as the main effect is provoked by the sponge device itself, and local antibiotic treatment resulted in a lower bacterial growth than systemic treatments.

Pheromones cause disease: the exocrinology of anorexia nervosa

The aetiology of anorexia nervosa is exocrinological. This notion is supported by physical evidence in animal models with directly comparable symptomatology. Anorexia nervosa (AN) syndrome would be a puberty delay caused by reception and autoreception of conspecific pheromone emissions: a pheromone-induced puberty delay (PIPD). As such, it would be amenable to medical treatment drawing from forty years of research in animals. This hypothesis is testable. For instance, since food ad libitum is a prerequisite for PIPD, occasional supervised fasting in healthy peripuberal subjects should prevent AN. Besides, tolerating an untestable thought disease (1,2) with symptoms of a curable well-understood animal condition would be anti-scientific and perpetuates medical disaster. Even their endocrinologies are identical. Pheromone feedback tunes animal appetites and immunity to available resources and prospects. In addition to timing puberty, pheromones regulate fertility. Pheromones will probably be implicated in the aetiology of the psychiatric and autoimmune diseases. This is the second in a series of twelve papers to explore this contention systematically.

Neonatal organization of adult partner preference behavior in male rats

Male rats were castrated or sham castrated shortly after birth. Castrated males were then injected every other day on days 0-10 with testosterone propionate (TP, 0.5 mg), dihydrotestosterone propionate (DHTP, 0.5 mg) or the oil vehicle (0.05 ml); sham-castrated males received oil injections. In adulthood, when substituted with DHT, DHT + E2, or T (silastic implants), sexual partner preference was measured in an automated open field (AOF), in which wire mesh prevented sexual interaction with incentives, and in a 3-compartment box (3-CB), in which sexual interaction with tethered incentives was possible. Choices were an estrous female and a nonestrous female or an estrous female and a sexually active male. In adulthood, following long-term treatment with DHT or DHT + E2, the males did not show any partner preference when sexual interaction with incentives was prevented. Following sexual experience with an estrous female these males preferred the estrous over the nonestrous female, although this change could also be due to long-term hormone treatment. In the 3-CB, a clearcut preference emerged for the estrous female over the nonestrous conspecific, although the neonatally DHTP- or oil-treated males scored lower than the neonatally TP-treated or control males. Six weeks after removal of the hormone implants, when tested in the 3-CB (estrous female vs. active male), the males showed no partner preference. Unexpectedly the control males showed a low preference for the active male. Three weeks T-treatment made all males show a preference for the estrous female (in 3-CB).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)