Ambient temperature dependence of the body temperature and of the duration of the hibernation periods in the garden dormouse, Eliomys quercinus L.

Hibernation pattern in the garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) was studied at TA's of 0, 4, 6.5, and 9 degrees C during 6 months in each study winter. The animals were kept in darkness without food or water. Body temperature and the mean duration of the hibernation periods were ambient temperature dependent. The comparison of hibernation at different TA's was based on three features: the mean duration of the hibernation periods during the midwinter plateau, the existence of the initial and terminal phases with the changing length of the hibernation periods, and the differences between the sexes. The TA of 4 degrees C was the optimal TA for long-term hibernation. The difference between 4 degrees C and other TA's was greater in males. The TA's of 0 and 9 degrees C were near the lower and higher TA limits for long-term hibernation. Signs of the existence of a circannual rhythm were detected in the males toward the end of the hibernation season.     

Cholecystokinin (CCK) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in the cerebral cortex of the non-hibernating and hibernating golden mantled ground squirrel

1. The effect of hibernation on cerebral cortical concentrations of cholecystokinin and vasoactive intestinal peptide was investigated in the golden mantled ground squirrel (Citellus lateralis). 2. During hibernation, cortical brain weight decreased to 83% of the non-hibernating weight. 3. The concentration of the small form of CCK was significantly reduced. The concentration of the large forms of immunoreactive CCK did not significantly change during hibernation. The molecular forms of CCK appeared the same both before and during hibernation. 4. Of note, the concentration of vasoactive intestinal peptide significantly increased during hibernation. 5. Since there was a three-fold reduction in the ratio of large to small forms of CCK during hibernation, this suggests that post-translational processing of the precursor peptides are markedly reduced during hibernation.     

华北地区扬子鳄室内控温冬眠的初步研究

扬子鳄(Alligator sinensis),属于我国Ⅰ级重点保护野生动物,华北地区养殖条件下未见降温冬眠报道.本次于2020年11月至2021年5月对北京动物园饲养的5尾扬子鳄开展人工降温冬眠实验,观察冬眠各期个体的环境选择和行为变化,建立冬眠期间的行为谱,分析冬眠前后行为指标和形态指标(全长、体重和围度)变化,监...     

Circannual control of hibernation by HP complex in the brain

Seasonal hibernation in mammals is under a unique adaptation system that protects organisms from various harmful events, such as lowering of body temperature (Tb), during hibernation. However, the precise factors controlling hibernation remain unknown. We have previously demonstrated a decrease in hibernation-specific protein (HP) complex in the blood of chipmunks during hibernation. Here, HP is identified as a candidate hormone for hibernation. In chipmunks kept in constant cold and darkness, HP is regulated by an individual free-running circannual rhythm that correlates with hibernation. The level of HP complex in the brain increases coincident with the onset of hibernation. Such HP regulation proceeds independently of Tb changes in constant warmth, and Tb decreases only when brain HP is increased in the cold. Blocking brain HP activity using an antibody decreases the duration of hibernation. We suggest that HP, a target of endogenously generated circannual rhythm, carries hormonal signals essential for hibernation to the brain.     

Pancreatic hormones in the nonhibernating and hibernating golden mantled ground squirrel

The effects of hibernation on pancreatic insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, and pancreatic polypeptide was investigated in the golden mantled ground squirrel (Citellus lateralis). During hibernation, pancreatic organ weight decreased to 57% of the nonhibernating weight. The content of all four pancreatic hormones during hibernation was significantly reduced. The concentrations of insulin, pancreatic polypeptide and somatostatin, but not of glucagon, were significantly reduced during hibernation. The maintenance of the pancreatic glucagon concentration during hibernation may be related to its role in counter-regulation and carbohydrate homeostasis during fasting.     

Role of the antioxidant ascorbate in hibernation and warming from hibernation

Ground squirrels tolerate up to 90% reductions in cerebral blood flow during hibernation as well as rapid reperfusion upon periodic arousal from torpor without apparent neurological damage. Thus, hibernation is studied as a model of tolerance to cerebral ischemia and other types of brain injury. Metabolic suppression likely plays a primary adaptive role that allows hibernating species to tolerate dramatic fluctuations in blood flow. Several other aspects of hibernation physiology are also consistent with tolerance to ischemia and reperfusion suggesting that multiple neuroprotective adaptations may work in concert during hibernation. The purpose of the present work is to review evidence for enhanced antioxidant defense systems during hibernation, with a focus on ascorbate, and discuss potential roles of these antioxidants during hibernation. In concert with dramatic decreases in blood flow, nutrient and oxygen delivery, plasma concentrations of the antioxidant ascorbate [(Asc)p] increase 3-5-fold during hibernation. In contrast, during re-warming, [Asc]p declines at a relatively rapid rate that peaks at the time of maximal O(2) consumption. This peak in O(2) consumption also coincides with a brief rise in plasma urate concentration consistent with a surge in reactive oxygen species production. Overall, data suggest that elevated concentration of plasma ascorbate is poised for distribution to metabolically active tissues during the surge in oxidative metabolism that accompanies re-warming during hibernation. This pool of ascorbate, as well as increased expression of other antioxidant defense systems, may protect vulnerable tissues from oxidative stress during hibernation and re-warming from hibernation. Better understanding of the role of ascorbate in hibernation may guide use of ascorbate and other antioxidants in treatment of stroke, head trauma and neurodegenerative disease.     

On the hibernation of Spongilla lacustris (L.)

Summary The osmotic pressure of the summer-sponge is about 25–30 mM NaCl. At and after gemmulation it increases to about 110 mM (in a single case 175 mM was found), due to a liberation of small organic molecules. Osmotic pressure remains constant for a time, but in January and February (i. e. before the germination) it is again reduced to the summer values. The shell allows a high hydrostatic pressure to develop and thereby prevents osmotic rupture of the gemmula. The hibernation may be divided into three periods: The prehibernation, the posthibernation and intercalated between them the hibernation proper. In the prehibernation and in the posthibernation definite changes take place in the tissue, but in the hibernation proper no changes are observed. In Nature the hibernation lasts about six months at, say, 4°, but at 22 degrees the whole hibernation will abbreviate to about 13 days.This is due to an abbreviation of all the three periods of hibernation, but whereas the pre- and the posthibernation will only be accelerated in a manner similiar to that of other physiological processes, such as processes of growth, development and metabolism, the hibernation proper will be accelerated much more, and in fact it will be almost abolished at 22°. This strange effect of temperature on hibernation proper is discussed. Since development often occurs at very low temperatures (2–5°), we may conclude that a mechanism must be present in the gemmulae which ensures development after a certain time, here 6 months. The different phases of hibernation may serve as an indicator of this mechanism. It is suggested, that the transformations taking place during prehibernation and posthibernation, and resulting in the germination of the gemmula are inhibited during hibernation proper by a substance formed in prehibernation.     

脑室注射6—羟多巴胺对黄鼠科眠入眠的影响

The effect of forced depletion of brain norepinephrine (NE) on the onset of hibernation was observed in the ground squirrel (Citellus dauricus) by intraventricular injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). The results showed: (1) Intraventricular injection of 100-200 micrograms 6-OHDA, which depleted 50-60% NE, markedly facilitated the onset of hibernation, i.e. the average induction period for hibernation in the treated animals was significantly shorter than that of the natural hibernating animals. (2) The average total torpor time in the treated animals was longer than that of natural hibernating animals. (3) All hibernating animals treated with 6-OHDA were able to wake up from deep hibernation spontaneously and undergo normal hibernation bouts. The results indicate the decrease of NE system activity in brain is one important factor in triggering the onset of hibernation.     

Distribution of endocrine cells in the digestive tract of Alligator sinensis during the active and hibernating period

The digestive tract is the largest endocrine organ in the body; the distribution pattern of endocrine cells varies with different pathological and physiological states. The aim of the present study was to investigate the distributed density of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), gastrin (GAS), somatostatin (SS) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) immunoreactive (IR) cells in the digestive tract of Alligator sinensis during the active and hibernating period by immunohistochemical (IHC) method. The results indicated that 5-HT-IR cells were distributed throughout the entire digestive tract, which were most predominant in duodenum and jejunum. The density increased significantly in stomach and duodenum during hibernation. GAS-IR cells were limited in small stomach and small intestine. The density decreased significantly in small stomach during hibernation, while increased in duodenum. What's more, most of the endocrine cells in duodenum were generally spindle shaped with long cytoplasmic processes ending in the lumen during hibernation. SS-IR cells were limited in stomach and small stomach. The density increased in stomach while decreased in small stomach during hibernation, meanwhile, fewer IR cells occurred in small intestine. VIP-IR cells occurred in stomach and small stomach. The density decreased in small stomach, while increased in stomach during hibernation. These results indicated that the endocrine cells in different parts of digestive tract varied differently during hibernation, their changes were adaptive response to the hibernation.     

Body temperature patterns before, during, and after semi-natural hibernation in the European ground squirrel

Ground squirrels undergo extreme body temperature fluctuations during hibernation. The effect of low body temperatures on the mammalian circadian system is still under debate. Using implanted temperature loggers, we recorded body temperature patterns in European ground squirrels kept in an enclosure under natural conditions. Although hibernation onset was delayed, hibernation end corresponded closely to that measured in a field population. Circadian body temperature fluctuations were not detected during deep torpor, but indications of circadian timing of arousal episodes at higher temperatures were found at the beginning and end of hibernation. One male exhibited synchronised arousals to a relatively constant phase of the day throughout hibernation. All animals first entered torpor in the afternoon. Daily body temperature fluctuations were decreased or distorted during the first days after hibernation. We hypothesise that hibernation may affect the circadian system by either decreasing the expression of the circadian oscillator, or by decreasing the amplitude of the circadian oscillator itself. possibly due to gradual, temperature dependent, internal desynchronisation. The latter mechanism may be beneficial because it might facilitate post-hibernation re-entrainment rates.     

Peptide TSKY Decelerates Outcome of the Ground Squirrel from Hibernation

Effect of peptide TSKY on the heart rate was studied in the ground squirrel Citellus undulatus at outcome from hibernation. At provocation of awakening in the first half of the hibernation bout (the 3rd–4th hibernation days), an intraperitoneal peptide injection at a dose of 1 mg/kg produced a deceleration of the HR increase and elongated the time of transfer of the animal to the normothermia state. This effect was not observed in the second half of the hibernation bout (the 5th–7th hibernation days). The study of the peptide cardiotropic activity on an isolated frog heart did not reveal any statistically significant TSKY activity.     

达乌尔黄鼠实验室饲养、繁殖及其冬眠阵

为探索实验室条件下达乌尔黄鼠饲养与繁殖的方法及冬眠阵的发生规律,参照野生黄鼠冬眠洞穴的主要生态环境参数,建立人工冬眠屋,采用传统锯末技术记录冬眠阵。结果显示: (1) 处于春季繁殖期的黄鼠应以大鼠饲料为主,辅以少量黄瓜等,夏季活跃期交叉饲喂大鼠饲料与兔饲料,辅以多水的瓜果蔬菜,秋季育肥期以大鼠饲料为主,辅以高脂肪高蛋白的花生、豆类等。(2)雌鼠怀孕期为28 d 左右,哺乳期约一个月,雌鼠每窝产仔4 ～ 8 只,平均5.52 只;初生幼鼠两周内忌换垫料,并避免将异味带入鼠房。(3)黄鼠冬眠期从当年11月下旬至次年3 月上旬,平均93.95 d;冬眠阵睡眠时长平均7. 44 d,阵间激醒时长平均1.36 d,睡眠天数占整个冬眠期的89.9% ;整个冬眠期,黄鼠冬眠阵平均7. 55 个。(4)2009 年秋至2011 年春季,自野外共捕回黄鼠185 只, 存活146 只,存活率78. 9% 。在2006、2009 和2011 年的黄鼠繁殖期,共配对25 对,产仔138 只,成活92 只,成活率为66.7% 。结果表明,野生达乌尔黄鼠可在人工饲养条件下实现繁殖,并可在人工冬眠屋成功冬眠。     

Thyroid hormone levels in the peripheral blood of the ground squirrel Citellus parryi during winter hibernation

In the Arctic ground squirrel Citellus parryi, thyroxine and triiodothyronine concentrations in the peripheral blood have been determined by RIA in various seasons and during a short hibernation period. It was shown that during hibernation (December-February), hormonal concentration is higher than during homoiothermal period (August-October). The highest concentration of the thyroid hormones was found in hibernating animals in January. The data obtained indicate that thyroid hormones are involved in control of hibernation of the species investigated.     

White adipose tissue composition in the free-ranging fat-tailed dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus medius; Primates), a tropical hibernator

In temperate species, hibernation is enhanced by high levels of essential fatty acids in white adipose tissue. Essential fatty acids cannot be synthesized by mammals, thus nutritional ecology should play a key role in physiological adaptations to hibernation. Tropical hibernators are exposed to different physiological demands than hibernators in temperate regions and are expected to be subject to different constraints. The aims of this study were to assess whether or not the tropical hibernator Cheirogaleus medius shows biochemical changes in its white adipose tissue before and during hibernation. A capture-recapture study was combined with feeding observations in western Madagascar. Before and after hibernation, 77 samples of white adipose tissue from 57 individuals of C. medius, as well as dietary items eaten during pre-hibernation fattening, were sampled and analyzed for their fatty acid composition. In contrast to temperate hibernators, C. medius exhibits extremely low essential fatty acid concentrations in its white adipose tissue (2.5%) prior to hibernation. The fatty acid pattern of the white adipose tissue did not change during pre-hibernation fattening and did not reflect dietary fatty acid composition. During hibernation, fat stores showed only minor but significant compositional changes. Because of its prevalence, the main fuel during hibernation was the monounsaturated oleic acid, which seemed to be preferentially synthesized from dietary carbohydrates. Results suggest that essential fatty acids do not represent an ecological limitation for hibernation in the tropics, at least not in the fat-tailed dwarf lemur.     

Hibernation in the tropics: lessons from a primate

The Malagasy primate Cheirogaleus medius hibernates in tree holes for 7 months, although ambient temperatures during hibernation rise above 30°C in their natural environment. In a field study we show that during hibernation the body temperature of most lemurs fluctuates between about 10°C and 30°C, closely tracking the diurnal fluctuations of ambient temperature passively. These lemurs do not interrupt hibernation by spontaneous arousals, previously thought to be obligatory for all mammalian hibernators. However, some lemurs hibernate in large trees, which provide better thermal insulation. Their body temperature fluctuates only little around 25°C, but they show regular arousals, as known from temperate and arctic hibernators. The results from this study demonstrate that maximum body temperature is a key factor necessitating the occurrence of arousals. Furthermore, we show that hibernation is not necessarily coupled to low body temperature and, therefore, low body temperature should no longer be included in the definition of hibernation.     

Phosphorylation of myosin light chains and C-protein in the myocardium of hibernating ground squirrel Citellus undulatus

A comparative study was made of the extent of phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chains and C-protein from the left ventricle of the hibernant ground squirrel Citellus undulatus during the periods of hibernation and activity. During hibernation, the light chains were found to be completely dephosphorylated. In active animals, the share of phosphorylated light chains averaged 40–45%. The extent of cardiac C-protein phosphorylation in hibernation was about twice higher than in the active state. Seasonal differences in phosphorylation of the two proteins of ground squirrel myocardium are discussed in the context of adaptation to hibernation.     

Seasonal variations in the renal cortical (Na+ + K+)-ATPase and Mg2+-ATPase of a hibernator, the ground squirrel (Spermophilus richardsonii).

1. The specific activity of renal cortical (Na+ + K+)-ATPase of the Richardson ground squirrel is markedly reduced during hibernation, in contrast to the specific activity of the accompanying Mg2+-ATPase which is markedly increased. 2. The sensitivity of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase to inhibition by ouabain is unchanged by hibernation. 3. Both the non-linear thermal dependence of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase and the linear thermal dependence of Mg2+-ATPase are also unchanged by hibernation. 4. The energy of activation of both enzymes is unchanged during hibernation, or by comparison with that determined in awake controls. 5. There is no evidence for inherent "cold resistance" in these enzyme preparations compared to similar preparations from the non-hibernating rabbit. This parameter does not change during hibernation. 6. Both the rate and amount of specific [3H]-ouabain binding to the renal cortical preparations of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase decrease during hibernation. This decrease matches the fall in enzyme activity so that the ratio of pumping sites/unit of enzyme activity shows no seasonal variations. 7. These findings suggest that the amount of renal cortical (Na+ + K+)-ATPase enzyme falls during hibernation, but that the enzyme which remains functions with the same thermodynamic efficiency and identical biochemical characteristics of that found in the awake summer controls.     

The "hibernation induction trigger": specificity and validity of bioassay using the 13-lined ground squirrel

Even though the existence of the blood-borne "hibernation induction trigger" has been reported in the 13-lined ground squirrel, transfusion of plasma from hibernating rodents with other hibernating species as the recipients failed to induce the occurrence of summer hibernation. In order to verify whether the response to the "trigger" substance is species specific, the present study was carried out to compare the effect of plasma from hibernating Richardson's ground squirrels on the incidence of summer hibernation in both juvenile Richardson's and adult 13-lined ground squirrels. In two series of experiments, 13-lined ground squirrels entered hibernation quite readily independent of the treatment. The rate of occurrence of hibernation ranged from 78% after sham injection to 86% after warm saline, fresh summer active plasma, and fresh hibernating plasma, respectively. There were no differences in the number of hibernation bouts and the number of days in hibernation after each treatment. In contrast, none of the juvenile Richardson's ground squirrels entered hibernation after any of the treatments up to the end of the 8-week observation period. These results not only argue against the existence of blood-borne "trigger" substance, at least in the Richardson's ground squirrel, but also caution against the use of the 13-lined ground squirrel as a standard test animal for the bioassay of the "trigger" substance.     

Incisor growth rate in rodents and the record of the entire annual cycle in the incisors of Marmota baibacina centralis

The lower incisors of 80 specimens of Marmota baibacina of 1?C10 years old killed in spring in the highland of the Tien Shan Mountains were investigated. On the surface of all the incisors, regular daily increments and ??hibernation zones?? were revealed. The mean width of increments was used as an indicator of the incisor growth rate before hibernation. We found that the mean width did not depend on the sex of animals, locality, and incisor length, but depended on animal age. The increment width significantly decreased, and the number of the increments formed before hibernation significantly increased with age. This means that the growth rate of the incisors and the intensity of their attrition decrease with the animals?? age. The decrease in the incisor growth rate with age is a manifestation of the well-known decrease with age in the intensity of all growth processes in mammals. As a result of this decrease, in the majority of old marmots under study, zones of hibernation were revealed in the basal as well as in the apical parts of the incisor. The zone in the basal part formed during the latest hibernation and the zone in the apical part corresponded to the previous one. Thus, the incisor preserved the record of the entire year of animal life.     

Seasonal variation in thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) content of different brain regions and the pineal in the mammalian hibernator, Citellus lateralis

We have measured the endogenous TRH concentration in the pineal and 9 brain regions of a seasonal hibernator, the golden-mantled ground squirrel, during euthermia and hibernation in order to investigate the possibility that changes in TRH concentration might occur in association with naturally-occurring changes in CNS-mediated physiological and behavioral processes. Regional TRH content was assessed by radioimmunoassay in adult animals that were killed during euthermia in the mid-portion of each season and during hibernation in mid-winter. No significant changes in TRH concentration related to season or to hibernation versus euthermic state were noted in the hippocampus, brainstem, or cerebellum. In the olfactory bulb, preoptic area, and pineal, seasonal variation within euthermic groups was evident. During hibernation, statistically significant decreases in TRH content occurred in the forebrain, olfactory bulb, hypothalamus, septum, preoptic area, and midbrain. Significant fluctuations during hibernation were also observed in the pineal. In this structure, TRH concentration varied in relation to the phase of the hibernation bout. TRH content in the last quarter of the bout was three times greater when compared to values observed in the first quarter of the bout. These results suggest that TRH may be involved in the control processes attributed to these regions and support a role for TRH in the neural control of hibernation.