Environmental control and adrenergic regulation of pineal activity in the diurnal tropical rodent, Arvicanthis ansorgei

Like nocturnal rodents, the diurnal tropical rodent Arvicanthis ansorgei shows a daily rhythm in pineal melatonin content. Seasonal and photoperiodic variations in the biosynthetic activity of the pineal gland: arylalkylamine-N-acetyltransferase (AA-NAT), hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase (HIOMT) activities and melatonin content were measured in male and female A. ansorgei captured near Samaya, Mali, and kept either under artificial laboratory photoperiods light-dark (LD) cycles: LD 14:10, LD 12:12 or LD 10:14 or caught in the field in Mali and killed at four different times of the year (January, April, June and November). Under artificial photoperiod, the duration of the nocturnal peak of AA-NAT activity and melatonin content increased with the duration of the dark period while the amplitude did not significantly change. In the field, annual variations in the amplitude of the nocturnal melatonin peak were observed with a maximum in April (highest temperature, low humidity and no grass availability, only seeds) and a minimum in November (high humidity, maximum green grass availability). The variations in the amplitude of the melatonin peak were not correlated with changes in AA-NAT HIOMT activities, suggesting that seasonal variations in the amplitude of the melatonin peak are not driven by these enzymes. Daytime injections of the beta-adrenergic agonist, isoproterenol, stimulated melatonin synthesis in January, April and June, but not in November. The annual differences in the amplitude of the melatonin peak as well as the seasonal differences in the response to an adrenergic stimulation suggest that environmental factors other than photoperiod, such as temperature, humidity and consequent food availability, could be important in the regulation of the annual variations in the pineal biosynthetic activity in this species.