Melatonin in the regulation of annual testicular events in carp Catla catla: evidence from the studies on the effects of exogenous melatonin, continuous light, and continuous darkness.

The physiological significance of melatonin in the regulation of annual testicular events in a major carp Catla catla was evaluated through studies on the effects of graded dose (25, 50, or 100 microg/100 g body wt.) of melatonin exogenously administered for different durations (1, 15, or 30 days) and manipulation of the endogenous melatonin system by exposing the fish to constant darkness (DD) or constant light (LL) for 30 days. An identical experimental schedule was followed during the preparatory (February-March), pre-spawning (April-May), spawning (July-August), and post-spawning (September-October) phases of the annual cycle. Irrespective of the reproductive status of the carp, LL suppressed while DD increased the mid-day and mid-night values of melatonin compared to respective controls. Influences of exogenous melatonin varied in relation to the dose and duration of treatment and the reproductive status of the carp. However, testicular response to exogenous melatonin (at 100 microg, for 30 days) and DD in each reproductive phase was almost identical. Notably, precocious testicular maturation occurred in both DD and melatonin-injected fish during the preparatory phase and in LL carps during the pre-spawning phase. In contrast, testicular functions in both the melatonin-treated and DD fish were inhibited during the pre-spawning and spawning phases, while the testes did not respond to any treatment during the post-spawning phase. In conclusion, this study provided the first experimental evidence that melatonin plays a significant role in the regulation of annual testicular events in a sub-tropical surface-dwelling carp Catla catla, but the influence of this pineal hormone on the seasonal activity of testis varies in relation to the reproductive status of the concerned fish.

Importance of photoperiods in the regulation of ovarian activities in indian major carp Catla catla in an annual cycle.

The present study attempted for the first time to explore the importance of photoperiod in the regulation of seasonal ovarian functions in any subtropical major carp. Adult Indian major carp Catla catla were transferred to a long photoperiod (LP; LD 16:8) or a short photoperiod (SP; LD 8:16) for 30 days on 4 dates corresponding to the beginnings of 4 reproductive phases in an annual cycle, and responsiveness of the ovary was evaluated by comparison with the gonadal weight (I(G)), relative number of developing oocytes, serum levels of vitellogenin, and the activity of 2 important steroidogenic enzymes, that is, Delta(5)3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and 17.beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, in the ovary of fish in a natural photoperiod. Exposure of fish to LP during the preparatory phase (February-March) resulted in a significant (p < 0.001) increase in the values of vitellogenin and in the activity of both the steroidogenic enzymes but not in the ovarian weight and in the relative number of different stages of oocytes. A more stimulatory influence of LP was noted during the prespawning phase (April-May), when precocious maturation of ovary was evident from a significant (p < 0.001) rise in the values of each studied features of ovarian functions. However, no ovarian response was found when the fish were transferred to LP during the spawning (July-August) and the postspawning (September-October) phases. On the other hand, the SP was found to have an inhibitory influence on ovarian growth and maturation during the prespawning and the spawning phases or to have no influences on ovarian functions during the preparatory and the postspawning phases of an annual cycle. The results of our study provide the first evidence that photoperiod per se plays an important role in the seasonal maturation of ovary in a subtropical freshwater major carp.