Effects of fasting and exogenous melatonin on annual rhythms in the blue fox (Alopex lagopus)

The arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) is a winter-active inhabitant of the high arctic with extreme fluctuations in photoperiod and food availability. The blue fox is a semi-domesticated variant of the wild arctic fox reared for the fur industry. In this study, 48 blue foxes were followed for a year in order to determine the effects of exogenous melatonin and wintertime food deprivation on their reproductive and thyroid axes. Half of the animals were treated with continuous-release melatonin capsules in July 2002, and in November-January, the animals were divided into three groups and either fed continuously or fasted for one or two 22-day periods. Food deprivation decreased the plasma triiodothyronine and thyroxine concentrations probably in order to preserve energy due to a decreased metabolic rate. The same was observed in the plasma testosterone levels of the males but not in the plasma estradiol concentrations of the females. Exogenous melatonin advanced the autumn moult and seasonal changes in the voluntary food intake. It also advanced the onset of the testosterone peak in the males. The plasma estradiol levels of the females were unaffected, but the progesterone levels peaked more steeply in the sham-operated females. Melatonin exerted a strong influence not only on the reproductive axis of the males but also on the seasonal food intake. The species seemed quite resistant to periodic involuntary food deprivation.