title: Citalopram (antidepressant) administration causes sexual dysfunction in male mice through RF-amide related peptide in the dorsomedial hypothalamus.
abstract: Citalopram is the most potent selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) which is used as an antidepressant but causes sexual dysfunction. Whether citalopram induced sexual dysfunction is a result of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), kisspeptin or RF-amide related peptide (RFRP) alteration is unknown. In this study, we tested mice for sexual behavior after vehicle (0.9% NaCl) and citalopram treatment (5 mg/kg) daily for 1 day (acute) and 21 or 28 days (chronic). Effects of acute and chronic treatments on neuronal numbers and mRNA expression of GnRH, kisspeptin and RFRP were measured. In addition, RFRP fiber projections to preoptic (POA)-GnRH neurons were analyzed using double-label immunohistochemistry. The expression of 14 different serotonin receptor types mRNA was examined in immunostained laser dissected single RFRP neurons in the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH), however only 11 receptors types were identified. Acute citalopram treatment did not affect sexual behavior, whereas, the total duration of intromission was reduced with chronic treatment. There was no effect in the expression of kisspeptin (neuronal numbers and mRNA) in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus and the arcuate nucleus and expression of GnRH (neuronal numbers and mRNA) in the POA after citalopram treatment. However, RFRP neuronal numbers in the DMH and fiber projections to the POA were significantly increased after chronic citalopram treatment, which suggests citalopram induced inhibition of sexual behavior involves the modulation of RFRP through serotonin receptors in the DMH.
authors.affiliation: Brain Research Institute, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University, Sunway Campus, Malaysia. tomoko.soga@med.monash.edu.my
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Soga
authors.forename: Dutt Way
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Iain J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: Ishwar S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Parhar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002452:Cell Count; D015283:Citalopram / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D059648:Kisspeptins; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; C491407:Kiss1 protein, mouse; D059648:Kisspeptins; D009479:Neuropeptides; C416987:RFamide peptide; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D015283:Citalopram; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone