title: Changes in hormonal levels associated with enforced interval copulation and anxiety in sexually inexperienced and experienced male rats.
abstract: This study evaluated the effect of sexual experience on anxiety and hormonal levels associated with the performance of sexual behavior. Two groups of male rats, one with, the second without, sexual experience, were exposed to four different copulatory conditions: ad libitum copulation until ejaculation (ADC-E); enforced interval copulation until ejaculation (EIC-E); ad libitum copulation up to 3 intromissions (ADC-3I); and enforced interval copulation up to 3 intromissions (EIC-E3I). At the end of each condition the animals were subjected to an open-field test to measure anxiety, before being sacrificed to measure corticosterone (CORT) and testosterone (T) levels. The sexually-inexperienced males showed less hyperactivity, lower sexual motivation, and higher anxiety levels. Only in the ADC-E and EIC-E conditions did both the inexperienced and experienced rats have a higher number of entries to the central squares of the open-field test. Both the sexually-inexperienced and experienced male rats showed an increase in CORT levels, but only the latter had increased T levels under all copulatory conditions. These findings reveal that the anxiolytic effect of mating is dependent on previous sexual experience and the degree of control that the male rats had during sexual interaction. The changes in the levels of both hormones could be part of the physiological process necessary to satisfy the demands involved in sexual performance and open filed. These data provide further insight into the role of sexual experience in mediating the release of CORT and T, as well as the anxiolytic effects of ejaculation.
authors.affiliation: Coordinación Lic. en Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad de Guadalajara, Centro Universitario del Sur, Enrique Arreola 883, Ciudad Guzmán, CP 4900 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
authors.forename: Tzintli
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Meraz-Medina
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Francisco de Quevedo 180, Col. Arcos Vallarta, CP 44130 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
authors.forename: Marisela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hernández-González
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Iztapalapa, P.O. Box 55 535, CP 09340 Ciudad de México, Mexico.
authors.forename: Herlinda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bonilla-Jaime
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Francisco de Quevedo 180, Col. Arcos Vallarta, CP 44130 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
authors.forename: Miguel Angel
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Guevara
authors.affiliation: Unidad Académica de Medicina Humana y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecasa, Ejido la Escondid, CP 98160 Zacatecas, Mexico.
authors.forename: Leopoldo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Flores-Mancilla
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, CP 04530 Ciudad de México, Mexico.
authors.forename: Rosa María
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Vigueras-Villaseñor
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Iztapalapa, P.O. Box 55 535, CP 09340 Ciudad de México, Mexico. Electronic address: asm@xanum.uam.mx.
authors.forename: Marcela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arteaga-Silva
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003307:Copulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D004542:Ejaculation / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D010507:Periodicity; D011897:Random Allocation; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013739:Testosterone / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone; D003345:Corticosterone
keywords: Anxiety; Corticosterone; Male rats; Sexual experience; Testosterone