Prenatal exposure to testosterone and its precursors influences morphology and later behavioral responsiveness to testosterone of female mice

Abstract

Prenatal exposure to testosterone (T), dehydroepiandrosterone or progesterone significantly increased ano-genital distance of female mice. In addition, prenatal exposure to T or pregnenolone significantly reduced the duration of T exposure during adult life required to induced intraspecific fighting behavior. However, the most masculinized females, those exposed to T prenatally, still had significantly shorter ano-genital distances and required a longer exposure period to T in order to establish fighting than did prenatally oil-exposed male mice. Additional experiments revealed that pregnenolone augments later responsiveness to the aggression-promoting property of T only if it is administered during the prenatal period of development.