Previous studies have shown that the administration of melatonin (MT) to early post‐natal fur‐bearing animals increases the numbers of hair follicles (HFs). In this study, the effect of maternal MT supplementation on the HF development in offspring was investigated. To explore the potential underlying mechanisms, the expression of the melatonin receptor 1A (MTNR1A) gene was determined in the offspring. The Rex rabbit was the animal model, and 79 same‐day‐pregnancy females were randomly assigned to either a control (n = 39) or MT treatment (n = 40) group, and 10 mg MT microcapsules was implanted at the base of the neck of rabbits in the treatment group. Skin, lung, liver, muscle, kidney, heart and duodenum samples were collected from the newborn rabbits. The results showed that MT improved fur quality in the offspring rabbits by reducing the diameter of primary and secondary HFs, and increasing the HF population. MT did not affect the reproductive performance of female rabbits, and it did affect the blood levels of thyroid‐stimulating hormone, prolactin and MT. In the offspring rabbits, MT significantly stimulated MTNR1A gene expression in the skin and heart (p < .01), whereas MTNR1A gene expression was significantly suppressed in the liver and kidney (p < .05). These results revealed that maternal MT supplementation increased HF density, reduced hairiness and improved the fur quality in Rex rabbit offspring. Maternal MT supply may modulate the responses of HFs in the offspring by upregulating the expression of MTNR1A in the skin. In this study, implantation of low‐dose MT did not affect the reproductive performance of female rabbits or on the growth of their offspring.

中文翻译：

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褪黑激素补充剂诱导后代雷克斯兔的毛囊发育。

先前的研究表明，对出生后早期的毛皮动物施用褪黑激素 (MT) 会增加毛囊 (HF) 的数量。在这项研究中，研究了母体 MT 补充剂对后代 HF 发育的影响。为了探索潜在的潜在机制，在后代中测定了褪黑激素受体 1A ( MTNR1A ) 基因的表达。以 Rex 兔为动物模型，79 只当日怀孕雌性被随机分配到对照组（n  = 39）或 MT 治疗组（n = 40)组，治疗组兔颈根部植入10 mg MT微囊。从新生兔中收集皮肤、肺、肝脏、肌肉、肾脏、心脏和十二指肠样品。结果表明，MT 通过减小初级和次级 HF 的直径和增加 HF 种群来改善子代兔的毛皮质量。MT不影响母兔的繁殖性能，但确实影响促甲状腺激素、催乳素和MT的血液水平。在子代兔中，MT 显着刺激皮肤和心脏中的MTNR1A基因表达 ( p  < .01)，而肝脏和肾脏中的MTNR1A基因表达显着抑制 ( p < .05）。这些结果表明，母体 MT 补充增加了 HF 密度，减少了毛羽并改善了 Rex 兔后代的毛皮质量。母体 MT 供应可能通过上调皮肤中MTNR1A的表达来调节后代 HF 的反应。在本研究中，植入低剂量 MT 不影响雌性兔的繁殖性能或其后代的生长。