Investigation of the effect of light spectrum on fertility and growth characteristics in rats

Investigation of the effect of light spectrum on fertility and growth characteristics in rats This research was carried out to investigate the fertility, growth characteristics and oxidative stress parameters of Sprague Dawley rats grown under a compact fluorescent lamp (60 cm, 18 W) with purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red and full spectrum white colors in the visible light spectrum. The research groups (7 colors) were exposed to periodically a 12-hour light/dark photo period and similar light intensity throughout the entire research period. Fertility traits in breeding rats and growth traits until puberty (63rd day) were determined in juvenile rats. At the end of the study, 4 male and 4 female rats were sacrificed by exsanguination method under anesthesia and their tissues were taken. Growth hormone and oxidative stress parameters were investigated in the tissues taken. The highest litter size at birth and litter size at weaned were determined in the green color group (P<0.01). The highest live weight and live weight gain in age of puberty were found in the red and green color groups (P<0.001). The highest feed consumption was obtained from the green group and the lowest from the blue group (P<0.001). Feed utilization and water consumption were found to be similar between the groups (P>0.05). The highest growth hormone was detected in the purple group, followed by the green and white groups. Hormone levels were low in other groups (P<0.05). In the red color group, TOS and OSI values were found to be high, and TAS value decreased. In the white group, TOS and OSI values decreased and TAS values increased (P<0.001). As a result, the performance parameters were found to be superior in green light. Although the performance parameters are high in the red group, the high stress parameters will limit the use of this light in rat rooms. Keywords: Rat, Spectrum, Lighting, Fertility, Growth