Publication
Title
The effect of maternal immunization on female oxidative status, yolk antioxidants and offspring survival in a songbird
Author
Abstract
Immune defense involves inflammatory reactions in which immune cells produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) to fight pathogens. ROS may however cause damage to the host if they are not balanced by antioxidant defenses. Therefore, one should expect individuals undergoing an immune reaction to use antioxidants to prevent oxidative stress. Antioxidants are vital compounds that provide important protection against oxidative damage of embryos and newly hatched chicks. Thus, during egg laying a female that contracted an infection may face a trade-off between the allocation of antioxidants into self-maintenance and into her offspring via the eggs. In our study we investigated whether immunized females face this trade-off and consequently modify the antioxidant allocation into the eggs and whether this allocation affects offspring performance. We injected female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) with lipopolysaccharide prior to egg laying while some females were left unimmunized. We removed the second egg of each clutch, while we allowed the other eggs to hatch. We assessed oxidative stress in females 24 h after immunization, yolk antioxidant capacity of the second egg of the clutch and survival success of the offspring until adulthood. Compared to controls, immunized females had higher oxidative damage, but similar plasma non-enzymatic antioxidant levels. The treatment did not affect yolk antioxidants, clutch size, laying date and offspring survival. However, we found a positive correlation between yolk antioxidant capacity and offspring survival, irrespective of the treatment. Our study suggests that our immune challenge may not have changed female strategy of antioxidant allocation between self-maintenance and offspring survival. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Comparative biochemistry and physiology : A : molecular & integrative physiology. - London
PHYSIOLOGY
Publication
London : 2016
ISSN
1095-6433
DOI
10.1016/J.CBPA.2016.01.019
Volume/pages
194 (2016) , p. 56-61
ISI
000371368100007
Pubmed ID
26812206
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 05.04.2016
Last edited 09.10.2023
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