ABSTRACT
Male Wistar rats were submitted to bilateral high frequency lesions in the medial preoptic-anterior hypothalamic area or to sham procedure. The behavioral effect of the lesions was observed and plasma testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) were measured by radioimmunoassay. In vitro metabolism of T was studied in the hypothalamus. Lesions produced a permanent deficit in male sexual behavior, an increase of plasma T and E2, and of hypothalamic T aromatization, and a decrease of T conversion to 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
Subject(s)
Hypothalamus, Anterior/physiology , Hypothalamus/metabolism , Preoptic Area/physiology , Rats/physiology , Testosterone/blood , Animals , In Vitro Techniques , Male , Rats, Inbred Strains , Testosterone/metabolismABSTRACT
In vitro studies were performed of hypothalamic testosterone (T) metabolism 30 days after castration of adult male rats. No changes were seen in T conversion into dihydrotesterone and estrogens in the castrated rats. Plasma T levels were decreased while plasma estradiol concentrations did not differ from those of intact controls. It was suggested that the hypothalamic T metabolism probably is not androgen dependent.