Neonatal sex hormones have `organizational' effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of male rats

Abstract

Sex hormones have activational effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in adulthood: For example, corticosterone release is influenced by gonadal status. These experiments investigated whether sex hormones have organizational effects on the HPA axis of male rats: Do sex hormones have relatively permanent effects on its development? In adults, both neonatal (neoGDX) and adult gonadectomy (adult GDX) resulted in elevated corticosterone (CORT) levels in response to stress compared to intact rats. Five days of testosterone propionate (TP) replacement was not as effective at attenuating CORT levels in neoGDX rats as in adult GDX rats. Neonatal GDX elevated corticosterone binding globulin (CBG) levels, whereas adult GDX was without effect. In Experiment 2 the effects of neonatal gonadectomy and neonatal treatment with either TP, estradiol benzoate (EB), or oil vehicle was examined. Despite 14 days of hormone replacement, neoGDX showed elevated CORT levels in response to stress compared to all other groups. A single neonatal dose of TP or EB in neoGDX rats eliminated the increased responsiveness. Neonatal TP and EB were without effect in sham-operated rats. Plasma CBG levels were elevated in neoGDX groups regardless of neonatal hormone treatment. Corticosteroid receptor binding levels were examined in various brain areas and the pituitary in two groups most different in their androgen experience: NeoGDX and shams that did not receive treatments as adults. NeoGDX had lower levels of glucocorticoid receptor, and higher levels of mineralocorticoid receptor binding in the pituitary. No other receptor differences were found. These experiments suggest that neonatal sex hormones influence the sensitivity of the HPA axis to sex hormones in adulthood and, thus, that they have organizational effects in addition to activational effects on HPA function.