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PubMed2006

Phthalate affect the reproductive function and sexual behavior of male Wistar rats.

Phthalates are chemicals used in many industrial products (plastic toys, shampoos, soaps), and are suspected of inducing adverse effects on the male reproductive system. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of the plasticizer di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (DEHP) on the reproductive function and sexual behavior of male offspring rats, exposed in utero and during lactation (0, 20, 100 and 500 mg/kg per day by gavage). The effects produced clearly demonstrate the ability of DEHP to disrupt the androgen-regulated development of the male reproductive tract. Absolute and relative weights of androgen-dependent tissue organs (ventral prostate and seminal vesicle) were significantly reduced at the highest dose level tested (500 mg/kg per day). Impairment of male sexual behavior (500 mg/kg per day) was also observed. Moreover, the reduction in daily sperm production and epididymal sperm counts observed after administration of the highest dose suggests an impairment of the spermatogenic processes. Most of the adverse effects reported here were observed both during puberty and during adulthood, indicating permanent effects of in utero and lactational DEHP exposure.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Transgenerational effect of a single neonatal benzpyrene treatment (imprinting) on the sexual behavior of adult female rats.

Male and female rats were neonatally treated with a single dose of benzpyrene. The adult animals were mated inter se, forming control-control, benzpyrene (female)-control, benzpyrene (male)-control, and benzpyrene-benzpyrene treated couples. In the F1 and F2 generations (without any further treatment) the females's sexual behavior was tested to Meyerson index and lordosis quotient after ovariectomy and hormone treatment, using experienced males. In the F1 generation both indices were significantly reduced in the maternally treated, paternally untreated groups, however this reduction was not present in the group where the treatment was maternal and paternal alike. In the F2 generation, beside the more expressed reduction in the grandmaternally treated group, a moderate reduction in the sexual activity of progenies having treated grandfather or two treated grandparents were observed. The experiment call attention to the transgenerational sexual behavioral effect of a dangerous environment pollutant, benzpyrene.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Sex-peptide-regulated female sexual behavior requires a subset of ascending ventral nerve cord neurons.

BACKGROUND: Male-derived Sex-peptide (SP) elicits egg laying and rejection of courting males in mated Drosophila females. Little is known about the genes that specify the underlying neuronal circuits and mediate this switch in female sexual behavior. RESULTS: Here we show that the egghead gene involved in glycosphingolipid biosynthesis provides an essential component to the SP response. We have isolated viable alleles of the vital egghead gene that abolish egghead expression from a distal promoter resulting in the absence of the largest transcript of this complex transcription unit. Temporally and spatially restricted expression of egghead revealed a requirement for egghead early in the development of apterous-expressing ventral nerve cord neurons to rescue the SP response. In viable egghead alleles, these ascending interneurons, three per abdominal and seven per thoracic hemisegment, fail to innervate the central brain. egghead expression in apterous neurons rescues neuronal targeting and the response to SP. Furthermore, neurotransmission in apterous neurons is required to elicit the SP response. CONCLUSION: Together with the former finding of SP binding to afferent nerves , these results suggest that SP-mediated modification of sensory input switches female sexual behavior from the virgin to the mated state.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Sexual behaviors of African-American male college students and the risk of HIV infection.

A survey of the rates of sexually transmitted diseases and protective sexual behaviors among a population of African-American male college students demonstrates that although monogamy, avoidance of casual sexual activity, and the avoidance of the use of drugs and alcohol during sexual activity tends to decrease the risk of exposure to human immunodeficiency virus, consistent condom use is the only sexually related behavior that is significantly protective.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1988

Progesterone effects on sexual behavior and neuronal ultrastructure in female rats.

Treatment of female rats with a low dose of estradiol (5% estradiol in a 5 mm Silastic capsule) and progesterone (0.5 mg) increased the percentage of neurons in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus that contained stacks of rough endoplasmic reticulum, as compared with female rats receiving either estradiol alone or no treatment. Only females treated with both estradiol and progesterone displayed any sexual behavior, with these females responding at maximal levels. These results support the relationship between stacking of rough endoplasmic reticulum in ventromedial hypothalamic neurons and levels of sexual behavior in female rats, and provide evidence that progesterone can produce rapid changes in the morphology of hypothalamic neurons in estrogen-treated animals.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Sexual behavior of Flinders Line female rats bred for differential cholinergic sensitivities.

Flinders Lines are two strains of rats selectively bred for their divergent physiological responses to cholinergic drug challenges. Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) rats are highly sensitive to cholinergic stimulation of various autonomic and behavioral responses compared to Flinders Resistant Line (FRL) rats. Because cholinergic innervation contributes to the regulation of female sexual behaviors in rats, a study was conducted to compare the sexual responses of FSL females to those of FRL females, as well as to those of Long-Evans (LE) females, a conventional rat strain. Ovariectomized FSL rats exhibited significantly higher incidences of lordosis and proceptive behaviors than ovariectomized FRL and LE rats over a range of estrogen doses (2, 3, 4, 5, or 20 microgram(s)/kg estradiol benzoate at 48 h before testing) administered in combination with progesterone (1 or 2 mg/kg at 4-6 h before testing). In addition, the muscarinic antagonist scopolamine inhibited lordosis behavior strongly in FRL females over a range of doses (0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, or 4 mg/kg), but failed to inhibit lordosis in FSL females. Results indicate that FSL females are highly sensitive to the behavioral effects of gonadal steroids and highly insensitive to the effects of a muscarinic antagonist. The enhanced sexual behavioral responses of FSL females could be a consequence of their well-established cholinergic hypersensitivity or a consequence of other undocumented characteristics of FSL females such as hypersensitivity to ovarian hormones. FSL females could provide a valuable model for the study of estrogen action at behavioral, cellular, and molecular levels.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Effects of a new type of 5-HT receptor agonist on male rat sexual behavior.

8-Methoxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetralin (8-OMe-DPAT) and 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) are two new drugs exerting selective actions on brain 5-HT neurotransmission. In the present experiments we have investigated the effects of these two drugs on male rat sexual behavior. It was found that both drugs reduce the number of intromissions preceding ejaculation and shorten the ejaculation latency. These effects are extremely pronounced and several animals ejaculate at the first intromission. In addition 8-OH-DPAT produced a slight reduction of the post-ejaculatory interval. There were no significant effects on latency to initiate copulation or in the number of mounts preceding ejaculation. Finally, sexual behavior was partly or completely restored in castrated male rats after injection with 8-OMe-DPAT or 8-OH-DPAT.

DOM 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-Methylamphetamine↗
PubMed1986

5-HT1A receptors: differential involvement in female and male sexual behavior in the rat.

The peripheral administration of the serotonin type 1A (5-HT1A) receptor agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH DPAT) inhibited lordosis behavior in ovariectomized rats primed with estradiol benzoate. 8-OH DPAT was ineffective at 0.01 mg/kg, whereas inhibition occurred at the 0.03, 0.1, 0.3, 1, and 3 mg/kg doses. On the other hand, 8-OH DPAT enhanced various measures of male sexual behavior both in males and in females treated chronically with testosterone propionate. In males, 1 mg/kg 8-OH DPAT reduced ejaculation latencies and the number of intromissions prior to ejaculation. In females, 0.1 and 1 mg/kg 8-OH DPAT increased mount frequencies. These data indicate differential involvement of 5-HT1A receptors in male and female sexual behavior. In view of these and other recent data the authors conclude that activity at 5-HT2 receptors facilitates, whereas activity at 5-HT1 receptors may either facilitate or inhibit lordosis behavior. Furthermore, it is proposed that 5-HT1A receptors mediate inhibitory effects, whereas 5-HT1B receptors mediate presynaptic, facilitatory effects of serotonin.

8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin↗
PubMed1993

Factors associated with severity of depression and high-risk sexual behavior among persons diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

Whereas some people appear to cope after learning that they have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, others experience depression and suicidal ideation. In this study, 142 persons with HIV infection were administered the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). High levels of depression were predicted by lower perceived social support, attributions that health was influenced more by chance, high-risk sexual behavior practices, and greater number of HIV illness symptoms and greater duration of time knowing of one's own positive serostatus. Ongoing high-risk sexual behavior practices were predicted by higher levels of recreational drug use and of depression. These findings highlight the need for improved mental health services for persons with HIV conditions.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1997

Heterosexual romantic relationships and sexual behaviors of young adolescent girls.

PURPOSE: To compare the heterosexual romantic relationships of a cohort sexually experienced and sexually inexperienced adolescent girls, to describe the perceptions of the appropriateness of the age of first intercourse, and to evaluate the reasons why sexually experienced girls chose to have sexual intercourse the first and the most recent times they had sexual intercourse. METHODS: Girls (n = 174) with a mean age of 14.5 years were recruited from an urban-based adolescent clinic to participate in a longitudinal study of psychosexual development. The subjects were interviewed regarding their views about relationships and sexual behaviors. For the purposes of this study, data were analyzed from the first wave of data collection. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study revealed that sexually experienced girls were more likely than sexually inexperienced ones to share unique information and spend time with their boyfriends, and to anticipate that their relationships would last longer. Regardless of sexual experience, 35% of their relationships were not mutually exclusive, which places the sexually experienced girls at risk for sexually transmitted infections. Most of the girls felt that they had been "too young" at the time of first intercourse. The reasons the adolescent girls gave for having intercourse the first time and the most recent time were correlated. It would be useful to incorporate the results of this study into subsequent research which identifies strategies to aid girls to postpone the initiation of intercourse, and maintain exclusive sexual relationships. Helping sexually experienced girls to consider why they have had intercourse in the past can aid future decision-making.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Participation of the lateral midbrain tegmentum in the neuroendocrine control of sexual behavior and lactation in the rat.

Electrolytic lesions were placed in the ventrolateral midbrain and their effects on lactational performance and sexual behavior were assessed. The neuronal injury, situated just above the lateral tip of the substantia nigra in the lateral tegmentum, caused an immediate impairment in lactational performance as measured by the weight gain of the offspring, and interfered also with the hormonal induction of sexual receptivity and proceptivity. In similarly lesioned male rats, mounting behavior was virtually absent, but nociceptive thresholds and locomotor activity in the open-field remained unaltered. It seems likely that some, but not all, of these effects were due to disruption of a pathway carrying somatosensory information relevant for lactation and sexual behavior.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Increased condom use without other major changes in sexual behavior among the general population in Switzerland.

OBJECTIVES: This study is part of a continuous evaluation of the Swiss AIDS prevention strategy from 1987 through 1994. METHODS: Annual telephone surveys of samples representative of the general population aged 17 through 45 years have been conducted since 1987 to monitor behavioral change. RESULTS: No major changes in level of sexual activity (lifetime number of partners, frequency of sexual encounters in the past week) or potential exposure to risk of HIV transmission (acquisition of a new steady partner during the year or of casual partners in the last 6 months) were observed. Systematic condom use with a new steady partner increased between 1988 and 1994, from 40% to 64% among 17- to 30-year-olds and from 57% to 72% among those aged 31 to 45. Systematic condom use with casual partners increased from 8% to 56% between 1987 and 1994 among 17- to 30-year-olds and from 22% to 42% between 1989 and 1994 among those aged 31 to 45. Condom use was higher among those with multiple partners. CONCLUSIONS: A general-population approach to AIDS prevention was able to achieve large-scale improvements in condom-based protection against HIV infection without inducing other major changes in sexual behavior.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1980

The role of vaginal secretion in hamster sexual behavior: males' responses to normal and vaginectomized females and their odors.

The importance of hamster vaginal secretion relative to other femine odors for attraction of males and elicitation of copulatory behavior was examined by comparing the behavior of males toward normal females with that toward vaginectomized females. Males were more attracted to intact females than to vaginectomized females when odors were the only cues available and also when auditory, visual, and odor cues were available but contact was prevented. There were no differences in the attractiveness of estrous and diestrous females, whether intact or vaginectomized. When males and females were allowed to interact, there were no differences in any measures of male sexual behavior toward normal versus vaginectomized females, which indicates that the presence of vaginal secretion is not necessary for male sexual behavior. The significance of these findings for conceptions of pheromone action in mammals is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Oleamide and anandamide effects on food intake and sexual behavior of rats.

Oleamide is a lipid with diverse properties, including cannabinoid-like activity. For example, it induces the classic triad of effects attributable to these molecules: decrease in core temperature, hypolocomotion, and reduction in pain perception. However, as it binds to the cannabinoid receptors (CB1) only at high concentrations, it is not considered an actual endocannabinoid. In this study, we tested the effect of oleamide on food intake and sexual behavior and compared it to the effect induced by anandamide. Results indicate that oleamide and anandamide increased food intake during the 3h post-injection. In addition, anandamide but not oleamide induced changes in sexual performance. This study further supports the role of endocannabinoids in food ingestion and male sexual behavior and gives additional support to the notion that, although oleamide might not be an endocannabinoid, it shares some effects with them.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Poly-A+ mRNA and defeminization of sexual behavior and gonadotropin secretion in rats.

To test the hypothesis that testosterone (T) sexually differentiates gonadotropin secretion and sexual behavior by inducing synthesis of messenger RNA (mRNA), newborn female rats received intrahypothalamic infusions of saline or cordycepin, an adenosine analogue that preferentially inhibits synthesis of polyadenylated mRNA, an hour before they received T propionate (TP) systemically. As adults, controls were anovulatory and did not become sexually receptive when given estradiol benzoate (EB) and progesterone (P). Cordycepin-treated females obtained lordosis quotients (LQs) three times those of controls and most of them ovulated. Cordycepin also curtailed the defeminizing effects of some doses of moxestrol, an artificial estrogen; thus it does not simply block aromatization. Some groups were retested for lordosis using EB and methysergide to bypass P receptors. Methysergide increased LQs in one group that received moxestrol + cordycepin as neonates and that was moderately responsive to P, but it did not increase sexual receptivity among the saline-treated controls. These data suggest that defeminization of sexual behaviour involves more than defeminization of P receptor synthesis.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Risky sexual behavior in relation to marijuana and alcohol use among African-American, male adolescent detainees and their female partners.

This study examined substance use and risky sexual behavior (RSB) in a specific incident among 210 African-American, male adolescents who were being held in juvenile detention facilities. The participants completed a questionnaire that included four measures of substance use (i.e. alcohol and marijuana use by the participants and their partners), two measures of RSB (i.e. no prior discussion of sexual risks, condom nonuse) and six measures of potential correlates of sexual risk. Within-subjects analyses indicated participants and their partners were more likely to have used marijuana than alcohol during the sexual incident. Bivariate analyses indicated the participants' marijuana use was associated with no prior discussion of sexual risks and condom nonuse, and the partners' marijuana use was associated with no prior discussion of sexual risks. The association between participant marijuana use and condom nonuse, and the association between partner marijuana use and no prior discussion of sexual risks, also emerged in multivariate analyses that included the substance use variables and potential covariates. These findings suggest that marijuana use should be addressed in interventions that aim to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies among adolescent detainees.

Adolescent↗