Abstract
Four experiments were carried out to determine the relative masculinizing and defeminizing effects of dihydrotestosterone (D), androstenedione (A), and testosterone (T). (1) Female rats were administered 0–800 μg of D, A, or T shortly after birth and examined for persistent estrus, anovulatory sterility, and feminine sexual behavior in adulthood. A and T induced sterility in a dose dependent fashion while D had no effect. None of these steroids, even in the highest doses used, inhibited the animals' potential to show lordosis. (2) Females administered D, A, or T in infancy were treated with testosterone propionate (TP) in adulthood. Neonatal androgenization was found to enhance the growth response of the phallus but not differentially. (3) Adult, sexually experienced male rats were castrated. When sexual behavior had disappeared, they were administered either androstenedione or testosterone until complete mating behavior had returned. Both A and T induced complete mating and at the same dose levels. (4) Adult male rats were castrated and administered oil or D, A, or T. All three steroids partially ameliorated the regressive effects of castration upon the weight of seminal vesicles and prostate. It was concluded that D, A, and T all possess androgenic properties but that these steroids are differentially effective in different response systems.
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