title: Flibanserin treatment increases appetitive sexual motivation in the female rat.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Flibanserin is a mixed 5-HT1A agonist/5-HT2A antagonist that has been developed for the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder in women.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the acute and chronic dose-response effects of flibanserin on measures of sexual desire and copulation in ovariectomized rats primed with estradiol benzoate (EB) alone or in combination with progesterone (P).
  
  
  METHODS
  In Experiment 1, sexually experienced ovariectomized (OVX) rats at one testing site were rendered fully sexually receptive with EB + P priming and tested weekly with a sexually active male in bi-level pacing chambers following daily flibanserin treatment for 28 days. In Experiment 2, sexually experienced OVX rats at a different testing site received EB alone and were tested weekly with sexually active males following daily flibanserin treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Female appetitive behaviors (solicitations, hops and darts, anogenital investigations), defensive behaviors, pacing, lordosis, and male copulatory responses (intromissions and ejaculations) were measured during each 30-minute copulation test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Acute flibanserin or 1 week of chronic flibanserin treatment did not modify sexual responses in fully (EB + P) or partially (EB-alone) primed females. After 2 weeks of chronic treatment, fully primed females displayed significantly more solicitations than the three other groups. After 3 weeks of chronic treatment, a significant increase in female solicitations was observed in both hormone-treatment groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows the first evidence that chronic, but not acute, flibanserin treatment augments appetitive sexual behaviors in OVX female rats primed with EB + P or EB alone. Given the positive effect of flibanserin in clinical trials, these results confirm previous reports that solicitations in the female rat are a predictive animal model of human female sexual desire.
authors: Pelvipharm, University of Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, Montigny le Bretonneux, France. h.gelez@pelvipharm.com
authors: Hélène
authors: H
authors: Gelez
authors: Jonathan
authors: J
authors: Greggain-Mohr
authors: James G
authors: JG
authors: Pfaus
authors: Kelly A
authors: KA
authors: Allers
authors: François
authors: F
authors: Giuliano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001562:Benzimidazoles / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003307:Copulation / Q000187:drug effects; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004542:Ejaculation; D004958:Estradiol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation / Q000187:drug effects*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D051381:Rats; D020332:Rats, Inbred LEC; D058825:Serotonin 5-HT1 Receptor Agonists / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D058830:Serotonin 5-HT2 Receptor Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D001562:Benzimidazoles; D004338:Drug Combinations; D058825:Serotonin 5-HT1 Receptor Agonists; D058830:Serotonin 5-HT2 Receptor Antagonists; C098107:flibanserin; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; C025370:estradiol benzoate, progesterone drug combination