title: Perinatal treatment with picrotoxin induces sexual, behavioral, and neuroendocrine changes in male rats.
abstract: The effects of maternal exposure to picrotoxin (PT) during the prenatal and postnatal periods of sexual brain differentiation were studied. Behavioral (sexual behavior), physical (sexual maturation, body, and organ weights) and neurochemical (striatal and hypothalamic monoamine and respective metabolite levels) data were assessed in the offspring of PT-treated dams. The following results were obtained: 1) sexual maturation as measured by the day of testis descent and testis weight comparison was unchanged; 2) a decrease in male sexual behavior occurred, as well as a decrease in body, ductus deferens, and seminal vesicle weights and in plasma testosterone levels of adult male offspring; 3) striatal dopamine (DA) and homovanillic acid (HVA) levels were decreased and hypothalamic norepinephrine (NE) levels were increased. These results indicate that perinatal exposure to PT during the critical periods of male brain sexual differentiation has long-term effects on the reproductive physiology and behavior of male rats.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmacologia do Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Felicio
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Nasello
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Bernardi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D015306:Biogenic Monoamines / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D018756:GABA Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D005837:Genitalia, Male / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010852:Picrotoxin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012733:Sex Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000503:physiopathology; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015306:Biogenic Monoamines; D018756:GABA Antagonists; D010852:Picrotoxin; D013739:Testosterone