Effects of day-time and night-time food restriction on hypothalamic genes in adult mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) housed in long and short photoperiods
Özet
Introduction:Many temperate-zone animals usechanges in photoperiod to time breeding. Shorter termcues, like food availability, are interested with pho-toperiod to adjust reproductive timing. We examinedthe effects of day or night food restriction on dailyfood intake, body weight, leptin, hormone values thatwere observed.Material-method:Feeding in male and female gerbilswas restricted to day time (DT) or night time (NT)for 30 days. Body weight and the amount of foodintake were measured daily. Control animals had freeaccess at all times. At the end of the experiment, ani-mals were dissected and bloods were taken for leptinmeasurements in ELISA. Brains were removed andhypothalamic cuts were made and stored at 80°Cfor hypothalamic gene expressions (for further analy-ses of NPY and AgRP).Results:In long photoperiod DT-restricted animalsexhibited decreased NPY gene expression in darkphase. In short photoperiod NT-restricted animalsexhibited decreased AgRP gene expression in darkphase. The leptin levels in ad lib-feeding and NT-feeding male and females were similar. The leptinlevels in DT restricted animal were higher in darkphase but lower in light phase. Also leptin level simi-lar in DT restricted group compared withad libitumgroup.Conclusion:These results show that adult male andfemale gerbils are more sensitive to NT and DT foodrestriction and multiple potential environmental cuescan be utilized to affect metabolic and hormonal sta-tus in adult Mongolian gerbil.
