Ovarian estradiol supports female sexual behavior and metabolic function. While ovariectomy (OVX) in rodents abolishes sexual behavior and enables obesity, OVX in nonhuman primates decreases, but does not abolish, sexual behavior, and inconsistently alters weight gain. We hypothesize that extra-ovarian estradiol provides key support for both functions, and to test this idea, we employed aromatase inhibition to eliminate extra-ovarian estradiol biosynthesis and diet-induced obesity to enhance weight gain. Thirteen adult female marmosets were OVX and received: (1) estradiol-containing capsules and daily oral treatments of vehicle (E2; n=5); empty capsules and daily oral treatments of either (2) vehicle (VEH, 1ml/kg, n=4), or (3) letrozole (LET, 1 mg/kg, n=4). After 7 months, we observed robust sexual receptivity in estradiol, intermediate frequencies in VEH, and virtually none in LET females (p=0.04). By contrast, few rejections of male mounts were observed in estradiol, intermediate frequencies in VEH, and high frequencies in LET females (p=0.04). Receptive head turns were consistently observed in estradiol, but not in VEH and LET females. LET females, alone, exhibited robust aggressive rejection of males. VEH and LET females demonstrated increased % body weight gain (p=0.01). Relative estradiol levels in peripheral serum were E2>>>VEH>LET, while those in hypothalamus ranked E2=VEH>LET, confirming inhibition of local hypothalamic estradiol synthesis by letrozole. Our findings provide the first evidence for extra-ovarian estradiol contributing to female sexual behavior in a nonhuman primate, and prompt speculation that extra-ovarian estradiol, and in particular neuroestrogens, may similarly regulate sexual motivation in other primates, including humans.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.