Abstract
AbstractScent of receptive females as signal to reproduction stimulate male mice to olfactory search of a potential breeding partner^1, 2^. This searching behavior is coupled with infection risk due to bacterial contamination of the fecal and urine scent marks^4^. The theoretical consideration of host evolution under inevitable parasitic pressures, including helminthes, bacteria, virus etc., predicts adaptations that help protect against parasites associated with breeding^7^. In this study, we propose that acceptation of female signals by male mice leads to adaptive redistribution of immune defense directed to protection against respiratory infection risks. Our results reveal migration of macrophages and neutrophils to upper airways upon exposure to female odor stimulus resulting in increased resistance to influenza virus in male mice. Contrary to widely accepted immunosuppressive function of female sexual signals, our data provide the first demonstration of the adaptive immunological response to female odor stimulus through induction of nonspecific immune response in upper airways.
Highlights
Female bedding treatment Bedding from cages with mature BALB/c females were used for female scent treatment of males
The soiled beddings or fresh wooden flakers were placed on the lid of male cages in wire mesh containers and were changed daily just before lights off
Four experiments have been done on BALB/c males that were kept one week before study with or without female scent
Summary
We studied leukocyte trafficking into upper air-ways and resistance to respiratory infection (influenza as an example) in male mice kept with or without female soiled bedding during 1-3 weeks. Mature BALB/c males were kept in two odor environments: with (n=41) or without the exposure (n=41) to the female soiled bedding as most naturalistic sexual signals in the mouse One week later, they received an intranasal application (while under ether anesthesia) of the mice adapted influenza virus A/WSN/33 (H1N1) in 50 μl phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Our data is the first to demonstrate the migration of leukocytes in response to the naturalistic breeding signals that provided an anticipatory adaptation of male mice to potential risk of the respiratory infections
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