The Hormonal Induction of Mating Responses in the Spayed-Adrenalectomized Female Rat

Ring, John R.

doi:10.1210/endo-37-4-237

Cited by 22 publications

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“…To produce experimentally the characteristic lordosis response denoting sexual receptivity, most investigators use a regimen of 1 or 2 injections of an estrogen, followed by a larger quantity of progesterone about 6 hr before testing. While it is known that administration of large doses of estrogen alone can elicit this response (2), it has been suggested that the behavior of these animals is not normal (2), or that under such circumstances progesterone was supplied by the adrenal cortex (3). The fact that estrogen stimulates adrenocortical activity in the rat (4-6) lends some credence to the latter notion.…”

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confidence: 99%

Stimulation of Female Sex Behavior in Adrenalectomized Rats with Estrogen Alone

et al. 1968

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Apparently normal sex behavior was produced in spayed rats by daily injections of 0.8 or 3.2 /*g estradiol benzoate. Adrenalectomy had no deleterious effect on this behavior. Uterine weight data suggested that the lower dose produced circulating estrogen levels within or below those occurring in physiological conditions. Since, in the combined ovariectomized-adrenalectomized females, all known sources of steroid hormones were removed, it is concluded that the expression of sexual receptivity in female rats does not require the presence of progesterone or adrenal androgens. (Endocrinology 82: 193, 1968) I T IS generally assumed that the expression of sexual behavior in the female rat depends upon adequate secretion of both estrogenic and progestational hormones by the ovary (1). To produce experimentally the characteristic lordosis response denoting sexual receptivity, most investigators use a regimen of 1 or 2 injections of an estrogen, followed by a larger quantity of progesterone about 6 hr before testing. While it is known that administration of large doses of estrogen alone can elicit this response (2), it has been suggested that the behavior of these animals is not normal (2), or that under such circumstances progesterone was supplied by the adrenal cortex (3). The fact that estrogen stimulates adrenocortical activity in the rat (4-6) lends some credence to the latter notion. Since ovariectomy or menopause does not seem to reduce sexual desire in women, it has been proposed that the hormonal determinants of their sexual behavior are of adrenocortical rather than ovarian origin (7). It was, therefore, of interest to determine whether the induction of sexual behavior in ovariectomized female rats by relatively low doses of estrogen was affected by the presence of the adrenal glands. Materials and MethodsFifteen 60-day-old female Long-Evans rats were ovariectomized and 19 others were simultaneously ovariectomized and adrenalectomized. Seven others Received July 5, 1967. This work was supported by USPHS Grant HD 00778.1 USPHS postdoctoral fellow. 2 USPHS predoctoral fellow.of similar age were not operated. The adrenalectomized rats received 0.9 % NaCl in their drinking bottles, but no corticosteroid replacement. Three weeks postoperatively, approximately half of the animals in each operated group received either 0.8 or 3.2 ng of estradiol benzoate in daily subcutaneous injections. Behavioral tests were conducted on days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10 and 12 following the onset of injections. The unoperated rats were not injected but were tested behaviorally at different stages of the estrous cycle. Illumination was supplied from 12 PM to 12 AM and behavioral tests were commenced at approximately 2 PM. Females were placed in semicircular testing cages with sexually experienced males. Each female received a minimum of 10 mounts, and all mounts by the male and lordoses by the female were recorded. Two observers were present during all testing sessions. On the day of the last test, all animals were autopsied, the complete...

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Stimulation of Female Sex Behavior in Adrenalectomized Rats with Estrogen Alone

et al. 1968

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“…Most investigators interested in the variables which affect the expression of sexual receptivity have customaxily utilized suprathreshold quantities of estrogen and progesterone to assure optimal behavior responsiveness. To our knowledge there has been little interest in establishing the sensitivity of individual animals to ovarian hormones [4,5,16,17], although a variety of attempts have been made to obtain dose-response relations for groups of animals [3,8,18,22,25]. This seems somewhat surprising particularly in view of much recent evidence which indicates that the responsiveness of adult female rodents to ovarian hormones can be dramatically reduced by exposure to androgens during a critical period of development [12,24].…”

Section: Estrogenmentioning

confidence: 99%