Diurnal thermal response to pinealectomy and photoperiod in the pigeon

Effects of arginine vasotocin on cardiorespiratory and thermoregulatory responses in the pigeon

1. The effects of intramuscular injections (10 ng, 100 ng, 1 mu or 10 mu/pigeon) of two preparations of synthetic arginine vasotocin (AVT), deamino-dicarba-arginine vasotocin (ddAVT) and arginine vasotocin diacetate tetrahydrate (AVTdt) on heart rate (HR), breathing frequency (BF), oxygen consumption (VO2), cloacal and foot temperatures (Tc and Tf) and shivering (S) were studied in the pigeon housed in a respiratory flow chamber maintained at a temperature of 22.5 degrees, during a 4 hr post-injection period. 2. In general, with the exception of the lowest dose, AVT-treatment produced hypothermic responses, as was indicated by Tc and Tf. 3. Both ddAVT and AVTdt produced increases in HR and BF when administered in high concentrations (10 micrograms/pigeon), the effect being more potent with AVTdt than ddAVT; with lower doses, the effects were considerably less pronounced. This increase in HR and BF is attributed to a probable compensatory response to the hypothermic effect. 4. With a 10 micrograms dose, ddAVT produced a greater decline in VO2 than AVTdt. Although other doses too evoked a drop in VO2 at certain post-injection time points, the effect was of lesser magnitude. 5. No significant shivering response was elicited, in spite of the drop in Tc. 6. It is suggested that, besides the antidiuretic function of AVT, its hypothermic effect would be of considerable importance in thermal homeostasis during flight in birds.

Influence of chronic melatonin implantation on circulating levels of catecholamines, growth hormone, thyroid hormones, glucose, and free fatty acids in the pigeon

Subcutaneous implantation of melatonin pellets (2 mg melatonin + 30 mg beeswax) for a period of 12 weeks, with reinforcement of implants every 2 weeks, caused significant increases in plasma levels of glucose and growth hormone (GH). Plasma levels of thyroxine (T4) were lower and the triiodothyronine (T3)/T4 ratio was higher in the melatonin-treated pigeons. However, melatonin treatment produced no significant effect on plasma levels of free fatty acids (FFA), T3, epinephrine (E), and norepinephrine (NE), although trends (P greater than 0.05) toward slight increases in FFA and T3 and decreases in E and NE were apparent. Since melatonin treatment caused increases in the levels of plasma glucose and GH and not in those of the other substances measured, it is suggested that melatonin enhances carbohydrate metabolism in preference to lipid metabolism in resting pigeons during the day (photophase) when pineal and circulating levels of melatonin are normally lower than during night (scotophase).

Physiological responses of vagotomized pigeons exposed to ambient temperatures gradually reduced from 34 degrees C to 2 degrees C

In pigeons subjected to bilateral cervical vagotomy and sham-vagotomy, measurements of heart rate, breathing frequency, cloacal temperature (Tc), foot temperature (Tf), shivering and metabolic heat production (M) were made during gradual ambient cooling from 34 to 2 degrees C on Day 2 as well as on Day 3 post-surgery. Severe tachycardia was observed in both Day 2 and Day 3 vagotomized (VX) pigeons. Lowering of ambient temperature (Ta) below 28 degrees C produced increased heart rate in both Day 2 as well as Day 3 sham-vagotomized (SVX) and VX pigeons, except with Day 3 VX pigeons exposed to Ta below 12 degrees C when a reversal of the trend became apparent. Breathing frequency in VX pigeons was lower than that in SVX on both days tested, the difference being greater on Day 2 than on Day 3. On both days, the difference in breathing frequency between VX and SVX pigeons was minimal at Ta 30 degrees C and became increasingly greater with Ta above or below this point. Tc dropped significantly in both VX and SVX pigeons in response to ambient cooling on Days 2 and 3. The Day 2 VX pigeons in general had a lower Tc than that in SVX and as Ta continued to drop below 28 degrees C, Tc in VX pigeons dropped more rapidly than in SVX, showing the maximal difference in Tc between the two at Ta 2 degrees C.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Both hydroxy- and methoxyindoles modify basal temperature in the rat

The various pineal gland tryptophan metabolites were administered to male rats intraperitoneally (100 micrograms/kg) and rectal temperatures were recorded. Of the compounds tested, hydroxytryptophan, N-acetylserotonin, hydroxytryptophol, and their corresponding methoxyindoles all caused a marked hypothermia, indicating that several indolic products may be involved in thermoregulation. Although the brain penetration of indoles is poor, a central site of action would be most likely, although peripheral actions cannot be excluded. The mechanism of induction of hypothermia may involve peptides, the pituitary-thyroid axis, the adrenal gland, or a combination of these. These results may suggest that the pineal gland integrates environmental cues to act in concert with physiological thermostats in the fine tuning of thermoregulation.

Influence of the pineal gland and melatonin on blood flow and evaporative water loss during heat stress in rats

Plasma melatonin levels of laboratory rats were elevated both during acute heat exposure (43 degrees C for 40 min) and chronic exposure (33 degrees C for 17 days) suggesting a possible correlation between melatonin and thermoregulatory mechanisms. Pinealectomy reduced the nighttime elevation in oxygen consumption and evaporative water loss. In addition, pinealectomized animals exhibited a significantly lower cutaneous evaporative water loss both at night and during the day when exposed to an acute heat exposure of 38 degrees C for 45 min. Pinealectomy elevated the blood pressure over the control group whereas melatonin infusion depressed the blood pressure without altering the cardiac output. This relationship implies an action by melatonin on the peripheral vasculature. In support of this conclusion, melatonin pretreatment tended to dampen the vasopressive effect of infused norepinephrine. These data, therefore, suggest a role of the pineal gland and melatonin in thermoregulation through an influence on the cardiovascular system and evaporative water loss.