Title
Effect of neonatal administration of an antidopaminergic drug (metoclopramide) on sexual behavior of male rats
Date Issued
01 January 2000
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Publisher(s)
Taylor and Francis Inc.
Abstract
Metoclopramide is an antidopaminergic drug that binds D2 receptor at the central nervous system and peripheral levels. Recent studies have demonstrated the presence of a sexually dimorphic nucleus in the anterior hypothalamus of rats and humans. The sexual differentiation of brain and its expression on sexual behavior is directed by catecholamines and steroids, which in turn will determine the masculinization of the preoptic area of the hypothalamus. Metoclopramide blocking dopaminergic receptor inhibits dopamine action and therefore brain masculinization. To determine the effects of the administration of this antidopaminergic drug in neonatal male rats, the design of the study considered measurements of mounts, penis intromission, and ejaculation in adult male rats treated neonatally with 100 μg metoclopramide. The administration of the drug or the vehicle (control) was by subcutaneous route during the third and fifth days of postnatal life. Six of 10 neonatally treated rats did not express male sexual activity in adulthood, while all control rats showed the characteristic pattern of male sexual behavior. Frequency of ejaculation in the rats treated with metoclopramide was 1.5 ± 1 as compared to 5.0 ± 0.9 in control rats (p < .01). There were meaningful differences with respect to the frequency of intromission in experimental rats (16 ± 8) compared to control rats (115 ± 18; p < .01). There is strong evidence that metoclopramide neonatally administered inhibits male sexual behavior in adult rats. Dopamine may be implicated in the process of neonatal brain sexual differentiation.
Start page
137
End page
142
Volume
45
Issue
3
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Zoología, Ornitología, Entomología, ciencias biológicas del comportamiento
Genética, Herencia
Biología reproductiva
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-0033693566
PubMed ID
Source
Archives of Andrology
ISSN of the container
01485016
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus