Oxytocin mediates the antidepressant effects of mating behavior in male mice.
A significant association between plasma oxytocin (OT) levels and depression has been demonstrated. A recent study found that sexual activity and mating with a female induced the release of OT in the central nervous system of male rats. Here we examined the effect of mating behavior on depression-related behavior in wild-type (WT) and OT receptor-deficient (OTR KO) male mice. The WT males showed a reduction in depression-related behavior after mating behavior, but the OTR KO mice did not. Application of an OTR antagonist inhibited mating behavior-induced antidepressant effect in WT males. OT may mediate the antidepressant effects of mating behavior.
Matsushita
Hiroaki
H
Department of Physiology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Okayama 700-8558, Japan.
Tomizawa
Kazuhito
K
Okimoto
Naoki
N
Nishiki
Tei-Ichi
T
Ohmori
Iori
I
Matsui
Hideki
H
D000818:Animals; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D046352:Freezing Reaction, Cataleptic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006727:Hormone Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000378:metabolism*; D018045:Receptors, Oxytocin / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000172:deficiency; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D013550:Swimming / Q000523:psychology; D014668:Vasotocin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use
D006727:Hormone Antagonists; D018045:Receptors, Oxytocin; C047046:atosiban; D010121:Oxytocin; D014668:Vasotocin