Altered brain metabolism of testosterone is correlated with reproductive decline in aging quail.

3-Oxo-5-alpha-Steroid 4-Dehydrogenase/metabolism; Aging; Androstanes/blood; Androstenedione/blood; Animals; Biotransformation; Brain/enzymology; Copulation/physiology; Coturnix; Dihydrotestosterone/blood; Follicle Stimulating Hormone/blood; Hypothalamus, Posterior/enzymology; Luteinizing Hormone/blood; Male; Oxidoreductases/metabolism; Pituitary Gland/enzymology; Preoptic Area/enzymology; Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology; Testosterone/blood

Abstract :

[en] In aging quail, an increasing proportion of males show no sexual behavior. A decrease in the mean size of the tests, cloacal gland, and sternotracheal muscles is also observed. In both sexually active and inactive males, plasma testosterone decreases with age but more so in inactive birds. The behavioral and morphological changes observed during aging are correlated with shifts in the intracellular testosterone metabolism resulting in a change in the ratio of active versus inactive metabolites. In the hypothalamus there is a steady decrease with age of 5 beta-reductase activity in all birds and an increase in 5 alpha-reductase activity only in the birds which remain sexually active. In the cloacal gland, the 5 beta-reductase activity markedly increases with age but more so in the birds which become sexually inactive. These data support the notion that the effects of testosterone are controlled by enzymatic shifts which could modulate the sensitivity to the hormone at the cellular level.

Disciplines :

Zoology
Neurosciences & behavior
Endocrinology, metabolism & nutrition

Author, co-author :

Balthazart, Jacques ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques > Biologie de la différenciation sexuelle du cerveau

Turek, R.

Ottinger, M. A.

Language :

English

Title :

Altered brain metabolism of testosterone is correlated with reproductive decline in aging quail.

Publication date :

1984

Journal title :

Hormones and Behavior

ISSN :

0018-506X

eISSN :

1095-6867

Publisher :

Elsevier, Atlanta, United States - California

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

330-45

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 05 February 2014

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Bibliography

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