Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Background Oxytocin (OXT), a 9-amino acid neuropeptide, has been known for its social interaction- and stress-modulating effects. Emerging clinical and pre-clinical studies have revealed intranasal OXT administration may enhance social preferences. Aims & Objectives It remains unexplored whether robust stress and airborne OXT exposure may affect male mice's hetero-sex motives. Method Eight- to ten-week-old C57BL/6 male and female mice were used in this study. We first established male mice’ hetero-sex motive model in a 41 x 41 cm arena. Two ovariectomized (OVX) females were brought into heat (heat females) by using subcutaneous treatment with three daily injections of estrogen benzoate (EB, 0.5 μg/0.05 ml/injection) followed by one injection of progesterone (0.83 ng/0.05 ml), while remaining two OVX mice received equivalent volume of sesame oil serving as non-heat controls. Heat females were restrained in meshed cages on one-side corners, and the remaining two non-heat females were kept in same cages on opposite-side corners. Heat zone, thus, referred to one half of the arena containing two heat females’ corner, while non-heat zone the remaining half with non-heat female corners. Male mice were subjected to four conditions, including a tandem stressor vs. no stressor regimen and with vs. without the presence of airborne OXT (cotton tip impregnated with OXT (20 ug in 0.2 ml 2% ethanol-containing saline). “Tandem” stressor regimen consisted of 30-min unconditioned foot shocks followed by 30-min restraint in water. To assess long-term, rather than acute, effects of stress and airborne OXT exposure on male mice’ hetero-sex drives, their sex drives were assessed approximately 24 hours after the conclusion of the tandem stressor regimen and airborne OXT exposure. Results Our results showed that male mice receiving no stressor with and without airborne OXT exposure had high but comparable preference ratios [(time spent in heat zone – time spent in non-heat zone) / 600]. In contrast, stressed mice showed significantly lower ratios. The presentation of airborne OXT throughout the stressor regimen failed to affect such stress effects. Discussion & Conclusions We here report robust stress may significantly impair male mice’ hetero-sex drives.
Authors: L-H Sun, L Yu
Institution: National Cheng Kung University
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,693
OpenAlex ID: W4413284203