Maintenance of sexual behavior in castrate male SW mice using the anti-androgen, cyproterone acetate.
The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that cyproterone acetate (C) might selectively block the actions of dihydrotestosterone (D) and via this action, function as an anti-androgen in male sexual behavior. Sexually experienced male SW mice, a strain previously shown to respond to D following castration, were divided randomly into six groups. Beginning on the day after castration, animals received SC injections for 21 days of either testosterone (T), (D), (C), (T+C), (D+C) or vehicle (V). C was found to significantly reduce seminal vesicle and body weights in all androgen treated groups. There was no evidence to support the contention that C selectively blocks the action of D. To the contrary, in sex tests C maintained palpations, thrust mounts, with intromissions and mounts with ejaculations. Indeed, only animals receiving C alone or in combination with T and D exhibited ejaculations throughout the testing. These results suggest that in the SW mouse, C can work like an androgen in the maintenance of male sexual behavior.
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002369:Castration; D003534:Cyproterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013196:Dihydrotestosterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D004542:Ejaculation / Q000187:drug effects; D004958:Estradiol / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D012669:Seminal Vesicles / Q000187:drug effects; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D013737:Testis / Q000502:physiology; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology
D013196:Dihydrotestosterone; D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol; D003534:Cyproterone