Hawley Wayne R, Battershell Dana L, Edwards Brooke M, Shoemaker Kara L, Lovell Brooke E, Bowman Jenna N, Kraus Emma A
Department of Psychology, Counseling and Art Therapy, Pennsylvania Western University-Edinboro, Edinboro, PA 16444, United States.
Department of Biology and Health Sciences, Pennsylvania Western University-Edinboro, Edinboro, PA 16444, United States.
J Sex Med. 2025 Aug 4;22(8):1312-1321. doi: 10.1093/jsxmed/qdaf082.
Although treatment with testosterone, or in some cases estradiol, reverses deficits in sexual motivation induced by the suppression of gonadal hormone signaling, the effects of testosterone or estradiol treatment on the expression of sexual reward remain to be determined.
The aims of the study were to (1) determine if testosterone was critical for the expression of conditioned place preference (CPP) induced by sexual activity (ie, expression of sexual reward) and (2) if the effects of testosterone treatment on the expression of sexual reward could be mimicked by treatment with estradiol alone.
The percentage of time spent in the chamber of a CPP apparatus associated with sexual activity was indicative of the expression of sexual reward, while the relative weights of the seminal vesicles and changes in body weight were analyzed to characterize androgen and estrogen activity, respectively.
All sexually experienced Long-Evans male rats were first treated with a long-acting gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor antagonist following their final conditioning trial, in which they learned to associate one end chamber of a 3-chambered CPP apparatus with sexual activity. Males were then treated with oil or single doses of either testosterone or estradiol 96 and 48 h prior to their CPP test trials and removal of seminal vesicles.
Only males treated with testosterone expressed CPP induced by sexual activity. Additionally, testosterone-treated males spent a significantly greater percentage of time in the chamber of the CPP apparatus associated with sexual activity than estradiol-treated males, an effect that also tended to be the case when comparing testosterone to oil-treated males. Testosterone increased the relative weight of the seminal vesicles, and estradiol treatment resulted in weight loss.
Although testosterone treatment impacted the expression of sexual reward, the results also suggest that treatment with estradiol alone may have limited clinical utility for treating those who are hypogonadal or undergoing androgen deprivation therapies, as the hormone did not mimic the effect of testosterone on the expression of sexual reward.
Strengths include the experimental nature of the study and novel investigation into the effect of testosterone and estradiol on the expression of sexual reward. Although the hormone was bioactive, one limitation of the study was the use of a single dose of estradiol.
Treatment with testosterone, but not estradiol alone, regulates the expression of sexual reward in male rats.
尽管用睾酮治疗，或在某些情况下用雌二醇治疗，可逆转性腺激素信号抑制所诱导的性动机缺陷，但睾酮或雌二醇治疗对性奖赏表达的影响仍有待确定。
本研究的目的是：（1）确定睾酮对于性活动诱导的条件性位置偏爱（CPP）（即性奖赏表达）是否至关重要；（2）单独用雌二醇治疗是否能模拟睾酮治疗对性奖赏表达的影响。
在CPP装置中与性活动相关的小室中停留的时间百分比可指示性奖赏的表达，同时分别分析精囊的相对重量和体重变化以表征雄激素和雌激素活性。
所有有性经验的Long-Evans雄性大鼠在其最后的条件性试验后首先用长效促性腺激素释放激素受体拮抗剂治疗，在该试验中它们学会将三室CPP装置的一个末端小室与性活动联系起来。然后在CPP测试试验和摘除精囊前96小时和48小时，雄性大鼠用橄榄油或单剂量的睾酮或雌二醇进行治疗。
只有用睾酮治疗的雄性大鼠表现出性活动诱导的CPP。此外，与用雌二醇治疗的雄性大鼠相比，用睾酮治疗的雄性大鼠在CPP装置中与性活动相关的小室中停留的时间百分比显著更高，与用橄榄油治疗的雄性大鼠相比，睾酮治疗的雄性大鼠也往往呈现这种情况。睾酮增加了精囊的相对重量，而雌二醇治疗导致体重减轻。
尽管睾酮治疗影响性奖赏的表达，但结果也表明，单独用雌二醇治疗对于性腺功能减退或正在接受雄激素剥夺治疗的患者可能临床效用有限，因为该激素并未模拟睾酮对性奖赏表达的作用。
优点包括研究的实验性质以及对睾酮和雌二醇对性奖赏表达影响的新研究。尽管该激素具有生物活性，但该研究的一个局限性是使用了单剂量的雌二醇。
睾酮治疗而非单独的雌二醇治疗可调节雄性大鼠的性奖赏表达。
