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Effects of castration on aggression and levels of serum sex hormones and their central receptors in mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus)

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Abstract

Aggression in socially monogamous mandarin vole (Microtus mandarinus) was observed after castration. Levels of serum sex hormones and their central receptors were also measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemistry methods. The data indicate that adult males showed higher levels of aggression after castration. However, castration significantly reduced levels of serum testosterone, and the number of androgen receptor immunoreactive neurons in the anterior hypothalamus, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, medial amygdaloid nucleus (P < 0.01) and lateral septal nucleus (P < 0.05). In addition, levels of estrogen receptor β in the anterior hypothalamus and medial amygdaloid nucleus (P < 0.05), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and lateral septal nucleus (P < 0.01) declined to varying degrees at weekly intervals. In contrast, serum 17β-estradiol concentrations were up-regulated by castration and castration did not change levels of estrogen receptor α in the medial amygdaloid nucleus and lateral septal nucleus, but increased it in the anterior hypothalamus 3 weeks after castration (P < 0.05). We suggest that higher levels of aggression induced by castration may be independent of serum testosterone and androgen receptors, and may be associated with high serum 17β-estradiol concentrations, stable estrogen receptor α immunoreactive neurons in some brain regions and the relative ratio of the two estrogen receptors.

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Abbreviations

AHA:

Anterior hypothalamus

AR:

Androgen receptor

AR-IRs:

Androgen receptor immunoreactive neurons

BNST:

Bed nucleus of the stria terminalis

E2 :

17β-Estradiol

ELISA:

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

ERα:

Estrogen receptor α

ERα-IRs:

Estrogen receptor α immunoreactive neurons

ERβ:

Estrogen receptor β

ERβ-IRs:

Estrogen receptor β immunoreactive neurons

LS:

Lateral septal nucleus

MeA:

Medial amygdaloid nucleus

T:

Serum testosterone

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Acknowledgments

We thank several students for assistance with experiments and caring for voles. Xia Zhang provided constructive comments and suggestions throughout the study. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 30970370 and 31170377) and Fundamental Research Fund for the Central Universities (Grant GK200901011). All experimental procedures were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Shaanxi Normal University.

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  1. Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710062, China

    Fengqin He, Fadao Tai, Yuhui Zhang & Xia Zhang

  2. College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710062, China

    Fengqin He

  3. Department of Life Sciences, Xi’an University of Arts and Science, Xi’an, 710065, China

    Fengqin He

  4. Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1Z 7K4, Canada

    Xia Zhang

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Correspondence to Fadao Tai.

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He, F., Tai, F., Zhang, Y. et al. Effects of castration on aggression and levels of serum sex hormones and their central receptors in mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus). J Comp Physiol A 198, 347–362 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-012-0713-6

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