Maternal exposure to picrotoxin modifies the response of the GABAA receptor during sexual behavior of adult male rat offspring.
This study investigated whether perinatal exposure to picrotoxin, a GABAA antagonist, modifies the effect of muscimol, a GABAA agonist, on the sexual behavior of adult male rats. Two hours after birth and then once daily during the next 9 days of lactation, dams received picrotoxin (0.75 mg/kg subcutaneously) or saline (1 ml/kg subcutaneously). The adult male offspring from the picrotoxin and saline groups received saline (1 ml/kg intraperitoneally) or muscimol (1 mg/kg intraperitoneally), and 15 min later, their sexual behavior was assessed. Muscimol treatment in the saline-exposed group increased the mount and intromission latencies. However, these effects were absent in the picrotoxin-exposed groups. The latencies to first ejaculation, postejaculatory mount, and intromission were decreased in both picrotoxin-exposed groups relative to the saline-exposed groups. The picrotoxin+muscimol-treated rats required more intromissions to ejaculate and the picrotoxin-exposed groups made more ejaculations than the saline-exposed groups. Thus, muscimol treatment did not increase the mount and intromission latencies following picrotoxin exposure, but increased the ejaculation frequency, which did not differ between the picrotoxin+muscimol and the picrotoxin+saline groups. These data indicate that perinatal picrotoxin treatment interfered with GABAA receptor development.
Health Sciences Institute, Paulista University, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Maria M
MM
Bernardi
Thiago B
TB
Kirsten
Elizabeth
E
Teodorov
Ana C Z
AC
Baso
Fabio C
FC
Prosdocimi
Luciano F
LF
Felicio
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D018756:GABA Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D058785:GABA-A Receptor Agonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D007774:Lactation; D008297:Male; D009118:Muscimol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010852:Picrotoxin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*
D018756:GABA Antagonists; D058785:GABA-A Receptor Agonists; D009118:Muscimol; D010852:Picrotoxin; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A