Differential astroglial responses in the spinal cord of rats submitted to a sciatic nerve double crush treated with local injection of cultured Schwann cell suspension or lesioned spinal cord extract: implications on cell therapy for nerve repair.

Purpose: Reactive astrocytes are implicated in several mechanisms after central or peripheral nervous system lesion, including neuroprotection, neuronal sprouting, neurotransmission and neuropathic pain. Schwann cells (SC), a peripheral glia, also react after nerve lesion favoring wound/repair, fiber outgrowth and neuronal regeneration. We investigated herein whether cell therapy for repair of lesioned sciatic nerve may change the pattern of astroglial activation in the spinal cord ventral or dorsal horn of the rat.

Sexual hormones terminate in the rat: the significantly enhanced catecholaminergic/serotoninergic tone in the brain characteristic to the post-weaning period.

The amount of dopamine released from the striatum, substantia nigra and tuberculum olfactorium, noradrenaline from locus coeruleus and serotonin from the raphe, was significantly higher in four and five weeks old rats than in three month old ones, proving that the catecholaminergic/serotoninergic activity enhancer (CAE/SAE) regulation works unrestrained during developmental longevity and is restricted thereafter. As the dampening of the CAE/SAE regulation (end to the second month of age) coincided temporally with the appearance of sexual hormones, we castrated three weeks old male and female rats and measured at the end of the third month of their life the release of catecholamines and serotonin from selected discrete brain regions. The amount of catecholamines and serotonin released from the neurons was significantly higher in castrated than in untreated or sham operated rats, signalting that sexual hormones inhibit the CAE/SAE regulation in the brain.

Longevity treatment with (-)deprenyl in female rats: effect on copulatory activity and lifespan.

Six months old ovariectomized female rats (n = 9) were treated with (-)deprenyl in a dose of 0.25 mg/kg s.c.

Effect of treatment with contraceptive steroids on the sexual behaviour of rats pretreated with benzpyrene or allylestrenol in fetal or neonatal age.

Treatments with contraceptive steroids significantly reduced the receptivity of adult female rats. This effect was not observed in ovariectomized females treated with high doses of estrogen and gestagen hormones prior to the investigation. The receptivity was also significantly reduced in rats treated with steroids (allylestrenol or benzpyrene) in their fetal or neonatal age, as it was demonstrated in previous experiments.

Effects of benzpyrene and allylestrenol administered during pregnancy on the sexual behaviour of castrated and hormone treated adult rats.

Treatments with benzpyrene on the 15th, 17th and 19th day of the pregnancy result in sexually significantly less active offspring females following castration and treatments with sexual hormones in adulthood. The receptivity of animals treated with allylestrenol in embryonic period is also decreased but was not significant. Treatments with allylestrenol or benzpyrene of newborns did not alter the hormone-induced sexual behaviour.

Fetal and neonatal action of a polycyclic hydrocarbon (benzpyrene) or a synthetic steroid hormone (allylestrenol) as reflected by the sexual behaviour of adult rats.

Allylestrenol or benzpyrene, given either between the 15th and 19th days of fetal life or from birth to the postnatal 7th day, caused dramatic decrease in the sexual activity of adult female rats. Allylestrenol, given in fetal life, resulted in a profound increase in the sexual activity of male rats. Given in newborn conditions, a decrease of sexual activity was caused by the same chemical.

Effect of (-)-para-fluoro-deprenyl on survival and copulation in male rats.

Six-month old male rats were treated with 0.25 mg/kg, s.c.

Striatal dopamine, sexual activity and lifespan. Longevity of rats treated with (-)deprenyl.

The influence of longterm deprenyl treatment on the sexual performance and lifespan of male rats was studied. One hundred and thirty two rats were treated from the end of their 2nd year of life either with saline (1 ml/kg, s.c.

The ejaculatory behavior of sexually sluggish male rats treated with (-)deprenyl, apomorphine, bromocriptine and amphetamine.

Bromocriptine (0.5 mg/kg) and apomorphine (0.03 mg/kg) exert moderate aphrodisiac effect in sexually sluggish rats.

Influence of neonatal steroid (diethylstilbestrol, allylestrenol) treatment on the sexual behaviour of the adult rat.

A single neonatal treatment with diethylstilbestrol (DES) or allylestrenol (AE) considerably depressed the sexual activity of male rats in adulthood. DES had a stronger depressive effect than AE. Though the adult sexual activity of intact female rats was also reduced by DES it was not influenced by AE.

Impact of a single neonatal gonadotropin (FSH + LH) or thyrotropin (TSH) treatment on the sexual behaviour of the adult male rat.

A single gonadotropin (FSH + LH) treatment of neonatal male rats resulted in depression of sexual activity in adulthood. It appears that not only steroids, but also gonadotropins may alter adult sexual behaviour by a single neonatal exposure. The chemically related hormone thyrotropin (TSH) had a similar, but much less pronounced, effect on adult sexual activity.

The aphrodisiac effect of low doses of (-) deprenyl in male rats.

The effects of single doses of (-)deprenyl, in comparison to J-508, U-1424, pargyline and clorgyline, on the sexual performance of male rats were tested. (-)Deprenyl (0.25 and 1 mg/kg, respectively) exerted a true, long-lasting aphrodisiac effect, on sexually sluggish male rats, whereas clorgyline, U-1424 and J-508 failed to act similarly.

The selectivity of the anorectic effect of satietin. IV. The ineffectiveness of satietin on the sexual performance of male CFY rats.

Satietin a recently discovered potent endogenous anorectic agent was claimed to be a highly selective anorectic substance, devoid of any effect on other behavioral system. In the copulator male rats, in contrast to amphetamine, fenfluramine and fluoxetine it failed to influence the mating activity. This finding further supports the view that satietin has highly selective effect on feeding behavior.

Possible role of the serotonergic system in the behavioral effect of massed electroconvulsive shock in rat.

Massed electroconvulsive shock (ECS) inhibited escape in a one-way avoidance system and tolerance to this effect developed in rats shocked for 4 consecutive days (1, 4, 5 and 10 ECS respectively). Chronic treatment with p-bromo-N-methylamphetamine (V-III) as well as pretreatment with pCPA antagonized the behavioral disturbing effect of massed ECS strongly supporting the idea that 5-HT plays an important role in observed behavioral effects.

Investigation of copulative activity in male rats in chronic experiment.

Copulative activity of 28 male Wistar rats was investigated for one year at 6 to 8 day intervals. Metholds have been worked out for the selection of sexually active males. It was found that it is possible to investigate copulative activity permanently in a selected population of male rats.

Receptivity of female rats.

Receptivity of female rats has been investigated under chronic experimental conditions. A receptivity index has been worked out for quantitative evaluation. It proved suitable for disclosing stimulatory (2.

Effect of two brain serotonin depletors on the sexual behavior of male rats.

We tested the effects of p-chlorophenylalanine (pCPA) and p-bromomethylamphetamine (V 111) on the homosexual and heterosexual behavior of male rats. We found that the two compounds affect differently the sexual behavior of sexually active, sluggish and inactive males. pCPA and chronic V 111 treatment stimulate the sexual activity in sexually sluggish males.