22/10/2014 [Journals]: Red Hair Is a Sign of Oxidative Stress in Wild Boars, but Gray is A-OK

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[Journals]: Red Hair Is a Sign of Oxidative Stress in Wild
Boars, but Gray is A-OK
A coat of a certain color could be costly for wild boars, according to research published in the journal Physiological
and Biochemical Zoology.

The research, led by Ismael Galvn of Spains Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, found that boars with more
reddish hair tend to have higher levels of oxidative stressdamage that occurs as toxins from cell respiration build
up. The reason for this, the researchers suggest, is that the process of producing reddish pigment eats up a valuable
antioxidant that would otherwise be fighting the free radicals that lead to oxidative stress.

Most of the pigment in animal skin and hair is produced by chemicals called melanins. There are two kinds of
melanins: eumelanin, which produces dark colors, and pheomelanin, which produces reddish or chestnut colors. The
two melanins are produced via similar chemical pathways, with an exception. The production of pheomelanin
consumes a chemical called glutathione (also known as GSH), which is a powerful intracellular antioxidant.

To see if this consumption of GSH has physiological consequences, Galvn and his team studied a population of wild
boars in Doana National Park in southwestern Spain. The researchers quantified the amount of reddish fur each
boar had, and tested levels of GSH and oxidative stress in the muscles of each animal.

They found that the boars with the highest levels of pheomelanin in their hair tended to have lower levels of GSH in
their muscles, and had the highest levels of oxidative stress. This suggests that certain colorations may have
important consequences for wild boars, Galvn said. Pheomelanin responsible for chestnut colorations may make
animals more susceptible to oxidative damage.

The results corroborate findings in other studies on birds and other animals suggesting the production of
pheomelanin imposes physiological constraints. In humans, red hair and high pheomelanin in skin has been linked
to higher rates of cancer. These findings raise a question: Why did pheomelanin evolve in the first place?
Galvn suggests one possible answer. While consuming GSH, pheomelanin production also consumes a chemical
called cysteine, which is part of GSH and can be toxic in excess. Pheomelanin may have evolved because cysteine,
which is toxic at very high levels, is removed from cells during pheomelanin production, Galvn said.

Surprising Results for Grays

While the findings for red hair echoed results of other studies, there were some surprising results for gray hair in
wild boars. Studies in humans have suggested that graying hairthe absence of melaninmay happen as a result of
oxidative stress. As with human hair, wild boars show hair graying all across their body fur, Galvn said. But we
found that boars showing hair graying were actually those in prime condition and with the lowest levels of oxidative
damage. Far from being a sign of age-related decline, hair graying seems to indicate good condition in wild boars.

Research into the consequences of different levels of melanin is only just beginning, Galvn says, and he hopes this
research will spur continued study.

Given that all higher vertebrates, including humans, share the same types of melanins in skin, hair, and plumage,
these results increase our scant current knowledge on the physiological consequences of pigmentation, he said.
###

Ismael Galvn, Carlos Alonso-Alvarez, and Juan J. Negro, Relationships between Hair Melanization, Glutathione
Levels, and Senescence in Wild Boars. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 85:4 (July/August 2012).

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology primarily publishes original research papers in animal physiology
and biochemistry with a specific emphasis on studies that address the ecological and/or evolutionary aspects of
physiological and biochemical mechanisms. Studies at all levels of biological organization from the molecular to the
whole organism are welcome, and work that integrates levels of organization to address important questions in
behavioral, ecological, evolutionary or comparative physiology is particularly encouraged.
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