Journal
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART A-ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY
Volume 339, Issue 3, Pages 284-289Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/jez.2677
Keywords
11-ketotestosterone; ICHH; immune response; imunocompetence handicap hypothesis; prolactin
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Prolactin and 11-ketotestosterone are important reproductive hormones in fishes, but our experiment on bluegill fish showed no significant relationship between these hormones and immunocompetence measures.
Prolactin and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) are important reproductive hormones in fishes, which may also influence immunocompetence. The immunocompetence handicap hypothesis states that higher androgen concentrations that support secondary sex traits are traded off against a decrease in immune system function. To test the relationships between these hormones and immunocompetence, we experimentally manipulated 11-ketotestosterone and prolactin in the freshwater fish, bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) during parental care using implants that contained either 11-KT, prolactin, or an inert control. We vaccinated individuals to stimulate the acquired immune response, then measured immunocompetence as the number of granulocytes, lymphocytes and monocytes, and the expression of interleukin 8 in each sample. We did not observe any significant differences in the immune measures among the hormone treatments. Our results indicate that in bluegill, there is no trade-off between androgens or prolactin and immunocompetence.
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