PMID- 8730654
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19970203
LR  - 20190920
IS  - 0953-8194 (Print)
IS  - 0953-8194 (Linking)
VI  - 8
IP  - 3
DP  - 1996 Mar
TI  - Effect of vorozole, an aromatase enzyme inhibitor, on sexual behavior, aromatase 
      activity and neural immunoreactivity.
PG  - 199-210
AB  - Aromatase enzyme is essential for the expression of normal sexual behavior in 
      many mammals and birds. Here we report that vorozole (R83842), a non-steroidal 
      aromatase inhibitor, blocks sexual behavior in the female musk shrew. In 
      addition, vorozole treatment lowers aromatase activity in male and female 
      preoptic area, and reduces plasma estradiol concentrations in females. Our 
      findings confirm and extend results demonstrated in other species, conducted with 
      the active enantiomer (R83842), or the racemic mixture (R76713, racemic 
      vorozole). We also report that vorozole treatment affects the immunocytochemical 
      distribution of aromatase immunoreactivity (AROM-ir) in musk shrew brain. The 
      histological identification of neurons that contain this enzyme has been 
      difficult in mammals. Several aromatase enzyme antisera have been developed and 
      used in brain, and each gives a different pattern of immunoreactivity. Moreover, 
      despite the fact that aromatase activity is very high in the bed nucleus of the 
      stria terminalis, several amygdala nuclei, the preoptic area and hypothalamus, 
      AROM-ir in these regions has been very limited. The distribution of AROM-ir in 
      female musk shew brain tissues is modified by treatment with vorozole prior to 
      sacrifice. Female musk shrew brains contain aromatase immunoreactive cell bodies, 
      as reported previously, in the central amygdala, lateral septum and to a limited 
      extent in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST). Brains of females 
      treated with vorozole show additional immunoreactivity in the preoptic area, 
      hypothalamus, and medial amygdala, and have a broad distribution of AROM-ir in 
      several subdivisions of the BST. Several sexual dimorphisms are apparent in musk 
      shrews brains after treatment with vorozole. We have quantified this sexual 
      dimorphism in the medial preoptic area (MPO) by counting immunoreactive cells. In 
      both the rostral and caudal portions of the MPO, female brains contain 
      significantly fewer AROM-ir cell bodies than males. These data are in complete 
      agreement with sex differences in biochemical analyses of aromatase activity in 
      the MPO. At this time we do not know if these dimorphisms are the result of 
      differences in circulating levels of steroids in males and females, and/or if the 
      AROM-ir nuclei regulate sexually dimorphic behaviors.
FAU - Rissman, E F
AU  - Rissman EF
AD  - Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville 22903, USA.
FAU - Harada, N
AU  - Harada N
FAU - Roselli, C E
AU  - Roselli CE
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
PL  - United States
TA  - J Neuroendocrinol
JT  - Journal of neuroendocrinology
JID - 8913461
RN  - 0 (Aromatase Inhibitors)
RN  - 0 (Estrogens)
RN  - 0 (Triazoles)
RN  - 1E2S9YXV2A (vorozole)
SB  - IM
MH  - Animals
MH  - *Aromatase Inhibitors
MH  - Brain/anatomy & histology/drug effects
MH  - Brain Chemistry/drug effects
MH  - Estrogens/blood
MH  - Female
MH  - Immunohistochemistry
MH  - Male
MH  - Neurons/drug effects/*metabolism
MH  - Sex Characteristics
MH  - Sexual Behavior, Animal/*drug effects
MH  - Shrews/*physiology
MH  - Triazoles/*pharmacology
EDAT- 1996/03/01 00:00
MHDA- 1996/03/01 00:01
CRDT- 1996/03/01 00:00
PHST- 1996/03/01 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 1996/03/01 00:01 [medline]
PHST- 1996/03/01 00:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1046/j.1365-2826.1996.04505.x [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - J Neuroendocrinol. 1996 Mar;8(3):199-210. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2826.1996.04505.x.