title: Oxytocin mediates the antidepressant effects of mating behavior in male mice.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Okayama 700-8558, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsushita
authors.forename: Kazuhito
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tomizawa
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Okimoto
authors.forename: Tei-Ichi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishiki
authors.forename: Iori
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ohmori
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsui
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D006727:Hormone Antagonists; D018045:Receptors, Oxytocin; C047046:atosiban; D010121:Oxytocin; D014668:Vasotocin