Changes in the Hydroxproline concentration of the skin of Antechinus stuartii with age and hormonal treatment

Abstract

Hydroxyproline concentration, as a measure of collagen, was determined in the skin of freshly captured male A. stuartii. The mean concentration increased between 30 and 38 weeks of age, decreased between 38 and 41 weeks, and increased again between 46 and 49 weeks. These changes do not support the hypothesis that males age rapidly before their mortality at approximately 51 weeks old. Peak concentration of skin hydroxyproline coincided with periods when the plasma corticosteroid concentrations were increased in males in the natural population. Exogenous cortisol increased the concentration of skin hydroxyproline in laboratory-held males. Therefore, the increase in hydroxyproline concentration in field males appears to result from high titres of plasma corticosteroids.