Four Hour Temporal Relation of 5-HTP and L-DOPA Induces Inhibitory Responses in Recrudescing Gonad of Indian Palm Squirrel (Funambulus pennantii)

Abstract

Daily injections of L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA, dopamine precursor) given 4 h after 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP, serotonin precursor) induced inhibitory responses in recrudescing gonad (in the first week of December) of Indian palm squirrel, a seasonally breeding subtropical animal. Other temporal relations (L-DOPA given at 0, 8, 12, 16, and 20 h after 5-HTP administration) did not show any effect on the recrudescing gonad. This inhibitory effect of 4 h was evident under short day length (6 : 18) group but was masked by the increasing day length of nature (NDL, late December onwards) and increased photoperiod of long day group (16 : 8). It is apparent that seasonal testicular recrudescence of Indian palm squirrel during short day length by 4 h relation of 5-HTP and L-DOPA is not a pharmacological effect but actually is an alteration of seasonality in this annually breeding mammal. It seems that endogenous mechanism controlling seasonal testicular recrudescence of Indian palm squirrel is reset by timed daily injections of these neurotransmitter drugs. It is suggested that in spite of different environmental factors (photoperiod, humidity, etc.) used by different species to time their annual reproduction, basic mechanism of seasonality appears to be the same, that is, the temporal synergism of neurotransmitter activity.