Glucocorticoids found in female mouse urine
by admin ~ July 29th, 2009.
A particular type of steroids known as glucocorticoids (GCC), were found in female mouse urine and goes straight to the male mouse’s head. Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found the compounds activate nerve cells in the male mouse’s nose with unprecedented effectiveness.
Glucocorticoids are mainly involved in energy metabolism, stress and immune function. This study was conducted to advance understanding of pattern recognition and learning in the more complex human brain.
Chemical communication signals called pheromones has long been recognized to influence biology or behavior of others. This chemical is found in urine, sweat and other bodily fluids. Most mammals use it for social purposes, such as establishing territory or dominance, or in courtship and mating.
Direct links between the female mouse’s health and GCC pheromones were found when the female mice were stressed, leading to a threefold increase in the levels of GCCs in the urine. The GCC pheromones identified were sulfated, which means they had a chemical attachment comprised of sulfur and oxygen atoms. When an enzyme was used to remove these attachments, the GCCs lost their ability to activate nerves.
It is believed that approximately 75% of the signals detected in the female mouse urine by the male accessory olfactory system are due to pheromones. This study about GCC pheromones acts as a precursor for the advanced general study of pheromones.
From Eureka Alert:
Category: Anabolic Steroids | Tags: GCC, glucocorticoids, pheromonesSt. Louis, June 16, 2008 — A group of steroids found in female mouse urine goes straight to the male mouse’s head, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. They found the compounds activate nerve cells in the male mouse’s nose with unprecedented effectiveness.
“These particular steroids, known as glucocorticoids (GCCs), are involved in energy metabolism, stress and immune function,” says senior author Timothy E. Holy, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurobiology and anatomy. “They control many important aspects of the mouse’s physiology and theoretically could give any mouse that sniffs them a detailed insider’s view of the health of the animal they came from.”