Effects of Opiate Antagonists on Hormones and Behavior of Male and Female Rhesus Monkeys

Opiate antagonists, naloxone (100 micrograms/kg) and naltrexone (1 mg/kg) were given to singly housed adult male or female rhesus prior to a 20-minute behavioral test with an oppositely sexed stimulus monkey. Four of the intact adult males were socially and sexually experienced. The remaining two intact males and two castrated males had been reared in socially restricted conditions and were psychosexually deficient. Adult females were ovariectomized, and the effects of opiate antagonists were examined with or without concurrent estradiol treatment. Both antagonists inhibited sexual behavior of the socially reared, sexually active, intact males. No stimulatory effects on sexual behavior were observed for sexually deficient males, whether intact or castrated. Females showed little change in sexual behavior following opiate antagonist treatment, regardless of endocrine status. The proportion of approaches of the female to the male was increased when naloxone, but not naltrexone, was given. Specific endocrine effects of the opiate antagonists were only found in intact males. Naltrexone significantly increased LH concentrations in the two males tested, while the increase in LH in the four males receiving naloxone was not significant. In all intact males, increases in LH were accompanied by statistically significant increases in circulating concentrations of testosterone following naloxone and naltrexone. The gonadotropic stimulating effect of the opiate antagonists was specific to LH, and no changes were observed in circulating concentrations of FSH in either sex.