Groups of rats were castrated on the day of birth (day 1) and injected with testosterone, androst-4-ene-3,6,17-trione (ADT, an inhibitor of aromatization), testosterone + ADT or oil daily from day 1 to day 5. The aromatizable androgen testosterone suppressed both cyclic gonadotrophin secretion, as judged from the absence of corpora lutea in grafted ovaries, and the behavioural response to injections of oestradiol benzoate and progesterone in adulthood. It also stimulated normal development of the penis and ejaculation in behaviour tests carried out after injections of testosterone propionate. The aromatization inhibitor ADT, like oil, did not affect either cyclic gonadotrophin secretion or receptive behaviour, but injections of ADT given at the same time as testosterone significantly reduced the effects of the androgen on both cyclic gonadotrophin secretion and receptive behaviour. Although neonatal administration of ADT did not affect the testosterone-stimulated development of the penis or the ability of the rats to achieve penile intromissions, it did interfere with ejaculation. None of the rats which had been injected with testosterone+ADT ejaculated. These results support the concept that during infancy neural conversion of androgens to oestrogens is important both for the suppression of the female patterns of gonadotrophin secretion and sexual behaviour and for the central organization of normal patterns of male sexual behaviour. Normal completion of the differentiation of the male genital tract appears to be independent of the central organization of masculine patterns of sexual behaviour.
Journal of Endocrinology is committed to supporting researchers in demonstrating the impact of their articles published in the journal.
The two types of article metrics we measure are (i) more traditional full-text views and pdf downloads, and (ii) Altmetric data, which shows the wider impact of articles in a range of non-traditional sources, such as social media.
More information is on the Reasons to publish page.
| Sept 2018 onwards | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Text Views | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| PDF Downloads | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Online ISSN: 1479-6805
Print ISSN: 0022-0795
Strengthening biomedical communities
to advance science and health
CONTACT US
Bioscientifica Ltd | Starling House | 1600 Bristol Parkway North | Bristol BS34 8YU | UK
Bioscientifica Ltd | Registered in England no 3190519
