Separation of mounting-inducing pheromones of vaginal mucus from estrual heifers.

Abstract

There is evidence that mucus of the female bovine genital tract contains pheromones that induce physiological and behavioral responses in other animals. To study these pheromones, vaginal mucus was collected from heifers either at estrus or during diestrus. The mucus was then applied to the hindquarters of the same animal during diestrus or to the hindquarters of herdmates during diestrus. The behaviors of the treated animal and its herdmates were then observed. To attempt to isolate the mounting-inducing substance, mucus was dialyzed or separated on ion-exchange resins. Diestrous heifers to which their own estrual mucus has been applied were nearly always mounted by herdmates (P less than .01). But, heifers to which another's estrous mucus had been applied were not mounted. This suggests that vaginal mucus contains not only estrus-related pheromones, but also individual distinctive odors. The dialyzable fraction of vaginal mucus and the neutral fraction, prepared by ion-exchange chromatography of the dialyzable solution of vaginal mucus, had a mounting-inducing activity on the herdmates, as did the application of an animal's own vaginal mucus. These findings suggest that mounting-inducing pheromones are relatively low molecular weight, neutral substances.

The Efficiency of Synthetic Sex Pheromones in Sexual Arousal Stimulation in Domestic Dogs

“…In domestic animals, except for appeasing pheromones which are commercially available for many species, among others research was also focused on sex pheromones (Izard and Vandenbergh 1982, Stevens et al 1982, Nishimura et al 1991, Rekwot et al 2001, Sankar and Archunan 2008.…”

Human Sperm Competition: A Comparative Evolutionary Analysis

“…For example, male cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus Oedipus) that smell a female's scent marks produced at high-fertility-relative to at low-fertility-experience more frequent penile erections and perform more mounting behaviors (Ziegler et al, 1993). Gathering scent cues to fertility status also may explain why males of several non-human species more frequently perform cunnilingus on high-fertility females than on low-fertility females (Dunbar, 1977;Johnston, 1974;Kiddy, Mitchell, Bolt, & Hawk, 1978;Murphy, 1973;Nishimura et al, 1991;Palagi et al, 2003;Sankar & Archunan, 2004;Soini, 1987). In humans, men may detect a female's fertility status through scent cues.…”

“…Oral sex is depicted in ancestral cave paintings (Angulo & García, 2005). Oral sex occurs across many species (Nishimura, Utsumi, Okano, & Iritani, 1991;Maruthupandian, & Marimuthu, 2013;Palagi, Telara, & Tarli, 2003;Soini, 1987), and behaviors that occur across species indicate the possibility of convergent adaptations. Next, we review how oral sex performed by men on women (cunnilingus) may be related to sperm competition.…”

Duration of Cunnilingus Predicts Estimated Ejaculate Volume in Humans: a Content Analysis of Pornography

“…Male cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus Oedipus) that smell a female's scent marks produced at high fertility-relative to at low fertility-experience more frequent penile erections and perform more mounting behaviors (Ziegler et al 1993). Gathering scent cues to fertility status also may explain why males of several mammalian species more frequently perform cunnilingus on high fertility females than on low fertility females, including dogs (Dunbar 1977;Kiddy et al 1978), hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus : Murphy 1973;Johnston 1974), bovine (Nishimura et al 1991;Sankar and Archunan 2004), ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta: Palagi et al 2003), and pygmy marmosets (Cebuella pygmaea: Soini 1987). Male Indian flying foxes (Pteropus giganteus) that spend more time performing cunnilingus on a female also spend more time copulating with her (Maruthupandian and Marimuthu 2013), and Maruthupandian and Marimuthu have interpreted this relationship with respect to sperm competition theory.…”

“…Some ancestral cave paintings depict humans engaged in behaviors that resemble cunnilingus, but Angulo and García (2005) caution that these depictions are ambiguous and, therefore, may be interpreted in other ways. Cunnilingus occurs across many species (Soini 1987;Nishimura et al 1991;Palagi et al 2003;Maruthupandian and Marimuthu 2013), and behaviors that occur across species indicate the possibility of convergent adaptations.…”