Differential effects of the serotonin1A agonist, 8-OH-DPAT, on masculine and feminine sexual behavior of the ferret

Abstract

Administration of the serotonin (5-HT)1A receptor agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) facilitates the expression of masculine sexual behavior in male and female rats as well as in male rhesus monkeys and inhibits lordosis behavior in female rats. In the present study the effects of 8-OH-DPAT on masculine coital and feminine proceptive and receptive behaviors were evaluated in the ferret, a carnivore. Doses of 8-OH-DPAT (0.1 or 0.2 mg/kg) that facilitate masculine sexual behavior in rats inhibited masculine sexual behavior in castrated, estradiol benzoate (EB)-treated male ferrets. Lower doses of 8-OH-DPAT (5 or 10 micrograms/kg) had no effect on the expression of masculine sexual behavior in either males or females. In contrast to the female rat, administration of 8-OH-DPAT significantly facilitated receptive behaviors in ovariectomized, EB-treated female ferrets. None of the doses of 8-OH-DPAT tested modified proceptive behaviors of gonadectomized, EB-treated male or female ferrets, as assessed in a T-maze in which the subjects could choose to approach either a castrated, sexually inactive male or a castrated, testosterone-primed stud male. Thus whereas the 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT facilitates masculine sexual behavior and inhibits lordosis in the rat, it inhibits masculine sexual behavior and facilitates receptivity in the ferret. The different effects of 8-OH-DPAT observed in these two species may reflect differences in the neural control of their masculine coital and feminine receptive responses, respectively.