Developmental Fluoxetine Exposure Facilitates Sexual Behavior in Female Offspring

Overview

Journal Psychopharmacology (Berl)

Specialty Pharmacology

Date 2013 Aug 1

PMID 23900642

Citations 9

Authors

Ine Rayen

Harry W M Steinbusch

Thierry D Charlier

Jodi L Pawluski

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Rationale: A growing number of infants are being exposed to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medications during the perinatal period. SSRIs target the serotoninergic system and are a popular treatment for maternal mood disorders. Serotonin itself plays a key role in the sexual differentiation through its role in the development of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, and previous research has shown that developmental SSRI exposure has an effect on sexual behavior in male offspring.

Objectives: Our aim was to determine the role of developmental exposure to a popular SSRI medication, fluoxetine, on sexual differentiation of the brain and behavior in female offspring using a rodent model of maternal adversity.

Methods: Stressed and non-stressed Sprague-Dawley rat dams were chronically treated with either fluoxetine (5 mg/kg/day) or vehicle beginning on postnatal day 1. Four groups of female offspring were used: (1) control + vehicle, (2) control + fluoxetine, (3) prenatal stress + vehicle, and (4) prenatal stress + fluoxetine.

Results: Primary results show that in adult female offspring, developmental fluoxetine exposure facilitates proceptive and receptive behaviors with a significant increase in the number of proceptive behaviors, a significant increase in the lordosis quotient, and a significant decrease in the rejection quotient.

Conclusions: This research contributes in the understanding of the long-term impact developmental fluoxetine exposure on the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) system in adult female offspring.

Citing Articles

Perinatal fluoxetine treatment and dams' early life stress history have opposite effects on aggressive behavior while having little impact on sexual behavior of male rat offspring.

Houwing D, Esquivel-Franco D, Ramsteijn A, Schuttel K, Struik E, Arling C Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2020; 237(9):2589-2600.

PMID: 32676774 PMC: 7501125. DOI: 10.1007/s00213-020-05535-7.

Antidepressant Use During Development May Impair Women's Sexual Desire in Adulthood.

Lorenz T J Sex Med. 2020; 17(3):470-476.

PMID: 31937517 PMC: 7197954. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2019.12.012.

Psychoactive drug exposure during breastfeeding: a critical need for preclinical behavioral testing.

Zucker I Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2018; 235(5):1335-1346.

PMID: 29549392 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-4873-0.

Sex-dependent effects of maternal corticosterone and SSRI treatment on hippocampal neurogenesis across development.

Gobinath A, Workman J, Chow C, Lieblich S, Galea L Biol Sex Differ. 2017; 8:20.

PMID: 28580124 PMC: 5454586. DOI: 10.1186/s13293-017-0142-x.

Environmental factors, epigenetics, and developmental origin of reproductive disorders.

Ho S, Cheong A, Adgent M, Veevers J, Suen A, Tam N Reprod Toxicol. 2016; 68:85-104.

PMID: 27421580 PMC: 5233640. DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2016.07.011.

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