Summary
The effect of melatonin treatment on lipid deposition inFundulus similis andCyprinodon variegatus was examined. Melatonin administration stimulates depletion of lipids inFundulus andCyprinodon acclimated to a long photoperiod; the action of this indolamine on lipid metabolism is independent of injection time inFundulus, but not inCyprinodon. Treatment ofFundulus with melatonin also causes a decrease in body fat in May when animals are maintained on a short photoperiod. However, an increase in lipids was observed inFundulus acclimated to a short photoperiod in July and treated with melatonin. These data suggest that the effects of melatonin on lipid deposition may depend on season and photoperiod conditions. Pituitary prolactin activity is reduced inFundulus treated with melatonin. The possibility that prolactin mediates the effects of melatonin on lipid metabolism is discussed.
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de Vlaming, V.L., Sage, M., Charlton, C.B. et al. The effects of melatonin on lipid deposition in cyprinodontid fishes and on pituitary prolactin activity inFundulus similis . J Comp Physiol B 94, 309–319 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00710643
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00710643