Walters M J, Harding C F
Biopsychology Program, Hunter College, CUNY, New York 10021.
Horm Behav. 1988 Jun;22(2):207-18. doi: 10.1016/0018-506x(88)90067-0.
Recent evidence indicates that aromatizable androgens are more effective than nonaromatizable androgens in restoring normal levels of sexual behavior in castrated male zebra finches (Poephila guttata). To determine whether the efficacy of treatment with aromatizable androgens, is in part due to their conversion to estrogens, castrated male finches were treated with androstenedione (AE), an aromatizable androgen, and their sexual and aggressive behavior was compared with that of castrates treated with AE plus 1,4,6-androstatriene-3,17-dione (ATD), an aromatization inhibitor. Males treated with AE + ATD showed less courtship activity and less copulatory behavior than AE-treated males, and were unlikely to have nests. Estradiol (E), when given concurrently with AE + ATD, reversed the inhibitory effects of ATD and restored levels of courtship and copulation to those observed in AE-treated males. Only AE- and AE + ATD + E-treated males displayed aggressive behaviors, but the frequency of such behaviors was so low that there were no significant differences across groups. These data affirm the importance of estrogen in the control of reproductive activities in male zebra finches and indicate that aromatization may be an obligatory step for maintaining normal levels of sexual and aggressive behavior.
最近的证据表明，在恢复去势雄性斑胸草雀（Poephila guttata）的正常性行为水平方面，可芳香化的雄激素比不可芳香化的雄激素更有效。为了确定用可芳香化雄激素治疗的效果是否部分归因于它们转化为雌激素，给去势雄性雀鸟用可芳香化雄激素雄烯二酮（AE）进行治疗，并将它们的性行为和攻击行为与用AE加芳香化抑制剂1,4,6-雄甾三烯-3,17-二酮（ATD）治疗的去势雀鸟进行比较。用AE + ATD治疗的雄性比用AE治疗的雄性表现出更少的求偶活动和交配行为，并且不太可能筑巢。当雌二醇（E）与AE + ATD同时给药时，可逆转ATD的抑制作用，并使求偶和交配水平恢复到在用AE治疗的雄性中观察到的水平。只有用AE以及用AE + ATD + E治疗的雄性表现出攻击行为，但此类行为的频率很低，以至于各组之间没有显著差异。这些数据证实了雌激素在控制雄性斑胸草雀生殖活动中的重要性，并表明芳香化可能是维持正常性行为和攻击行为水平的一个必要步骤。
