Paper mulberry leaves as a potential sterilant: evidence from Microtus fortis—a laboratory study
IntroductionThe Yangtze vole (Microtus fortis) is a small herbivorous rodent that usually causes damage to crops and forests in China. Various measures were used to control their population including chemical rodenticides. However, rodenticides may cause secondary damage to the environment and the e...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Plant Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1092792/full |
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| author | Shuangye Wang Junzhi Chen Yunlin Zhao Meiwen Zhang Chen Zhang Jianing He Jianing He Lichuan Wei Zhenggang Xu |
| author_facet | Shuangye Wang Junzhi Chen Yunlin Zhao Meiwen Zhang Chen Zhang Jianing He Jianing He Lichuan Wei Zhenggang Xu |
| author_sort | Shuangye Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionThe Yangtze vole (Microtus fortis) is a small herbivorous rodent that usually causes damage to crops and forests in China. Various measures were used to control their population including chemical rodenticides. However, rodenticides may cause secondary damage to the environment and the ecosystem. Therefore, the development of new rodent sterilants is urgent. Considering that some compounds of paper mulberry leaves have been verified that can inhibit the biosynthesis of sexual hormone, we aimed to explore the antifertility effect of paper mulberry leaves on M. fortis.MethodsIn this study, voles were divided into three groups including a male group, a female group, and a breeding group, and paper mulberry leaves were added into basal fodder of voles maintained in laboratory, of which the proportion of leaf weight was 50%. In each group, voles were fed with mixed fodder as treatment (BP) and voles were fed with basal fodder as contrast (CK).Results and discussionAfter feeding for more than 1 month, the results indicated that paper mulberry leaves attracted voles to feed, but inhibited their growth and reproduction. Since the second week, food intakes of BP have been significantly higher than CK (p< 0.05). However, weights of voles in male and female groups were 72.283 ± 7.394 g and 49.717 ± 2.278 g in the fifth week, and both were significantly reduced compared with their original weight (p< 0.05). Meanwhile, testicular volumes of male voles fed with BP were significantly smaller than CK (former: 318.000 ± 44.654 mm3, latter: 459.339 ± 108.755 mm3); the testosterone level, sperm number, and vitality of BP were obviously weaker than CK. Female uteruses and oophoron of BP grew slower, and the organ coefficients of uterus and oophoron fed BP were both significantly lower than CK (p< 0.05). The first reproduction of BP couple voles spent 45 days, while CK spent only 21 days. These results suggest that paper mulberry leaves could be the potential resource to produce sterilants to control rodent populations by delaying their sexual growth and reproduction. If it was practical, the apparent advantages of paper mulberry are that it is an abundant resource and the inhibitory effect could be effective in both male and female individuals. Our conclusion also supports the transformation of rodent management from lethal management to fertility control, which would be more ecologically friendly to agriculture and the ecosystem. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T06:35:54Z |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T06:35:54Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-547f96ba16c046b89535cb53dfda9c9a2023-06-09T05:11:44ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2023-06-011410.3389/fpls.2023.10927921092792Paper mulberry leaves as a potential sterilant: evidence from Microtus fortis—a laboratory studyShuangye Wang0Junzhi Chen1Yunlin Zhao2Meiwen Zhang3Chen Zhang4Jianing He5Jianing He6Lichuan Wei7Zhenggang Xu8College of Resources and Environment, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaKey Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Management of Western Forest Bio-Disaster, College of Forestry, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, ChinaCollege of Resources and Environment, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaDongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaDongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaKey Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Management of Western Forest Bio-Disaster, College of Forestry, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, ChinaDongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, ChinaKey Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Management of Western Forest Bio-Disaster, College of Forestry, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, ChinaKey Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Management of Western Forest Bio-Disaster, College of Forestry, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, ChinaIntroductionThe Yangtze vole (Microtus fortis) is a small herbivorous rodent that usually causes damage to crops and forests in China. Various measures were used to control their population including chemical rodenticides. However, rodenticides may cause secondary damage to the environment and the ecosystem. Therefore, the development of new rodent sterilants is urgent. Considering that some compounds of paper mulberry leaves have been verified that can inhibit the biosynthesis of sexual hormone, we aimed to explore the antifertility effect of paper mulberry leaves on M. fortis.MethodsIn this study, voles were divided into three groups including a male group, a female group, and a breeding group, and paper mulberry leaves were added into basal fodder of voles maintained in laboratory, of which the proportion of leaf weight was 50%. In each group, voles were fed with mixed fodder as treatment (BP) and voles were fed with basal fodder as contrast (CK).Results and discussionAfter feeding for more than 1 month, the results indicated that paper mulberry leaves attracted voles to feed, but inhibited their growth and reproduction. Since the second week, food intakes of BP have been significantly higher than CK (p< 0.05). However, weights of voles in male and female groups were 72.283 ± 7.394 g and 49.717 ± 2.278 g in the fifth week, and both were significantly reduced compared with their original weight (p< 0.05). Meanwhile, testicular volumes of male voles fed with BP were significantly smaller than CK (former: 318.000 ± 44.654 mm3, latter: 459.339 ± 108.755 mm3); the testosterone level, sperm number, and vitality of BP were obviously weaker than CK. Female uteruses and oophoron of BP grew slower, and the organ coefficients of uterus and oophoron fed BP were both significantly lower than CK (p< 0.05). The first reproduction of BP couple voles spent 45 days, while CK spent only 21 days. These results suggest that paper mulberry leaves could be the potential resource to produce sterilants to control rodent populations by delaying their sexual growth and reproduction. If it was practical, the apparent advantages of paper mulberry are that it is an abundant resource and the inhibitory effect could be effective in both male and female individuals. Our conclusion also supports the transformation of rodent management from lethal management to fertility control, which would be more ecologically friendly to agriculture and the ecosystem.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1092792/fullBroussonetia papyriferaMicrotus fortisrodenticideorgan coefficientreproductionsex hormone |
| spellingShingle | Shuangye Wang Junzhi Chen Yunlin Zhao Meiwen Zhang Chen Zhang Jianing He Jianing He Lichuan Wei Zhenggang Xu Paper mulberry leaves as a potential sterilant: evidence from Microtus fortis—a laboratory study Frontiers in Plant Science Broussonetia papyrifera Microtus fortis rodenticide organ coefficient reproduction sex hormone |
| title | Paper mulberry leaves as a potential sterilant: evidence from Microtus fortis—a laboratory study |
| title_full | Paper mulberry leaves as a potential sterilant: evidence from Microtus fortis—a laboratory study |
| title_fullStr | Paper mulberry leaves as a potential sterilant: evidence from Microtus fortis—a laboratory study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Paper mulberry leaves as a potential sterilant: evidence from Microtus fortis—a laboratory study |
| title_short | Paper mulberry leaves as a potential sterilant: evidence from Microtus fortis—a laboratory study |
| title_sort | paper mulberry leaves as a potential sterilant evidence from microtus fortis a laboratory study |
| topic | Broussonetia papyrifera Microtus fortis rodenticide organ coefficient reproduction sex hormone |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1092792/full |
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