Aminopeptidase activity was assayed in several rat brain regions and serum during the estrous cycle. Significant changes are present in the occipital cortex, hypothalamus, pituitary gland and serum. These results suggest that aminopeptidase activity plays a part in the hormonal changes that take place in this cycle.

Background Studies have demonstrated that women with low desire and low excitement have negative feelings regarding their physical and emotional satisfaction, as well as their happiness. In this study, we evaluate the efficacy of Libicare® - a multi-ingredient food supplement - to improve sexual function in postmenopausal women. Methods This was an exploratory, prospective, non-controlled, observational study. Postmenopausal women aged 45–65 with a risk of sexual dysfunction (Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) < 25.83) were included during routine clinical visits and treated with 2 tablets of Libicare® daily for 2 months. Libicare® is an oral food supplement containing Trigonella foenum graecum , Turnera diffusa , Tribulus terrestris , and Ginkgo biloba dry extracts. Primary endpoint: change vs. baseline in FSFI score. Secondary endpoints: 1) changes in testosterone and serum steroid levels of free testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels and 2) tolerability. Results A total of 29 patients (mean age: 54.69 years) were included. FSFI mean (SD) score showed a significant increase: 20.15 (4.48) vs 25.03 (6.94), baseline vs final; p = 0.0011, paired t-test. Most patients (86.2%) increased their FSFI score. All FSFI domains, except dyspareunia, showed significant increases. The highest increase was observed in the desire domain ( p = 0.0004). Testosterone and SHBG levels were assessed in 21 patients. A significant increase in testosterone level was observed: 0.41 (0.26) vs. 0.50 (0.34) pg/mL, baseline vs. final; p = 0.038, Wilcoxon test. 52.4% of patients increased their testosterone levels. Finally, a significant decrease was observed in SHBG level: 85 (32.9) vs. 73 (26.8) nmol/L, baseline vs. final; p = 0.0001; paired t-test. 95.2% of patients decreased their SHBG levels. Conclusion In this pilot study, a significant improvement in sexual function and related hormone levels was observed with Libicare®. Further studies must be conducted to confirm these exciting results. Trial registration Current Controlled Trial ISRCTN12928573 . Date of registration: 28/March/2019. Retrospectively registered.

Most psychiatric disorders show a sex bias in incidence, symptomatology, and/or response to treatment. Males are more susceptible to neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder and attention‐deficit activity disorder, while women are more prone to major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders after puberty. A striking difference between males and females in humans and other mammals is that males undergo a process of brain masculinization due to the early exposure to gonadal hormones. In rodents, this developmental organization of the brain is essential for adult males to express the appropriate sexual behaviors in the presence of a receptive female. Our goal was to determine whether this process of brain masculinization influences behaviors relevant to psychiatric disorders. To this aim, we studied sex differences and the effect of neonatal 17β‐estradiol benzoate treatment of female mice on different disease‐relevant behaviors. Our analysis includes postnatal behavior, juvenile play, and adult tests for sociability, repetitive behaviors, anxiety, and depression. Our results show that the sex differences observed in exploration, repetitive behaviors, and depression‐related behaviors are largely reduced when females are neonatally treated with 17β‐estradiol benzoate. These results suggest a role of neonatal sex steroids in the development of disease‐relevant behaviors and provide evidence supporting a role for perinatal exposure to estrogens and androgens on the development and manifestation of psychiatric disorders.

Distresses may induce behavioral phenotypes constituting heuristic models for psychopharmacology studies. In several species, including Drosophila, antidepressants counteract stress-induced phenotypes allowing the use of these models to test new psychoactive drugs. Here, we developed a novel and time-efficient protocol to provoke stress-induced phenotypes in Drosophila for the study of psychopharmacological agents. In the first experiment, flies (n=12/groups) were exposed to a random-sequence of different types of stresses during nearly 24 h (including social isolation, fasting, heat, and electric shock), a protocol named short-term variable stress (SVS). Second, flies were exposed to a single stressful stimulus (social isolation, fasting, heat shock or electric shock, n=12/groups). Next, flies submitted to SVS protocol were treated with vehicle, diazepam or fluoxetine (n=12/groups). At the end of the stress protocols, behavioral phenotypes were evaluated in the open field (OF) and sucrose preference tests. In comparison to the unstressed group, flies exposed to SVS exhibited hyperactivity, as well as shorter times exploring the boundaries of the OF.In contrast to fasting stress, SVS reduced sucrose preference in flies. By analyzing the effects of individual stimuli on fly behavior, fasting and electric shock appear to be the predominant influences on the SVS-induced behaviors. Although fluoxetine or diazepam reduced the initial locomotor activity of flies, no treatment prevented the sequelae of SVS. Altogether, this study provides a timeefficient model system for the study of stress-mediated hyperactivity and anhedonia-like state resistant to fluoxetine and diazepam. The applications of SVS in Drosophila to preclinical psychopharmacology require further studies.