Anabolic–Androgenic Steroid Effects on the Sexual Behavior of Intact Male Rats

Abstract

Six separate experiments were conducted which examined the effects of long-term administration of anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS) compounds on the sexual behavior of gonadally intact male rats. The six AAS compounds analyzed in this study were 17α-methyltestosterone, methandrostenolone, nandrolone decanoate, stanozolol, oxymetholone, and testosterone cypionate. In each experiment, subjects received daily injections of a high, medium, or low dose of the AAS compound, or the oil vehicle, for 12 weeks. Sexual behavior was quantified weekly. Twelve weeks of administration of the high dose of three AAS compounds, 17α-methyltestosterone, stanozolol, and oxymetholone, eliminated male sexual behavior. These treatments also suppressed serum testosterone levels. The remaining compounds had minimal effects on sexual behavior at any dose. Thus, in intact male rats the six AAS compounds examined in these studies evoked a range of behavioral and endocrine responses that varied as a function of the specific compound and dose administered.