THE ROLE OF OXYTOCIN RELEASE IN THE MEDIOBASAL HYPOTHALAMUS OF THE SHEEP IN RELATION TO FEMALE SEXUAL RECEPTIVITY

In vivo microdialysis and retrodialysis were used to investigate the role of oxytocin (OXY) release in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) of the ewe in the control of sexual receptivity. Initial experiments showed that OXY release was significantly increased in ovariectomized animals treated with progesterone and oestradiol when they were sexually receptive towards males and received intromissions. No such increases were seen during tests where the ewes were receptive but the males were prevented from achieving intromission. By contrast, OXY release was significantly reduced in tests where the ewes were not receptive to the male. In a second experiment artificial vaginocervical stimulation (VCS) was found to significantly increase OXY release when the animals were treated with oestradiol and this effect was potentiated by progesterone priming. OXY release in the MBH was not significantly altered by VCS in the presence of progesterone priming alone. Plasma OXY concentrations were significantly increased by VCS following all three hormone treatments but no one treatment was significantly more effective than another. Noradrenaline release in the MBH was only significantly increased following VCS when progesterone priming was given before oestradiol treatment. No effects of VCS on release of GABA, glutamate or dopamine were seen but their basal concentrations were significantly increased by the combined steroid treatment compared to oestradiol alone. In a third experiment it was found that OXY (10 muM) infused bilaterally into the MBH of receptive ewes, by retrodialysis, significantly decreased sexual receptivity and increased the release of noradrenaline and GABA. Finally, in a fourth experiment is was shown that multiple intromissions significantly reduced sexual receptivity. These results show that OXY release in the MBH is increased by natural or artificial VCS and that this is modulated by sex steroids. The inhibitory action of OXY infusions into the MBH on sexual receptivity suggests that a functional role of this peptide within this brain region might be to mediate decreases in sexual receptivity which we observed following multiple intromissions. It is probable that the behavioural effects of this peptide are primarily mediated directly rather than through a modulation of noradrenaline and GABA release.