Int Neurourol J.
2010 Dec;14(4):213-219.
Vardenafil Enhances Oxytocin Expression in the Paraventricular Nucleus without Sexual Stimulation
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Physiology, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 2Department of Physical Education, Korea Military Academy, Seoul, Korea.
- 3Department of Ophthalmology, Konkuk University Chungju Hospital, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Chungju, Korea.
- 4Department of Urology, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Incheon, Korea. kimcho99@gilhospital.com
Abstract
- PURPOSE
Oxytocin is associated with the ability to form normal social attachments. c-Fos is an immediate early gene whose expression is used as a marker for stimulus-induced changes in neurons. The effect of phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors on oxytocin activation in the brain without sexual stimuli has not yet been reported. In the present study, we investigated the effects of vardenafil on oxytocin and c-Fos expression in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of conscious rats.
METHODS
Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 300+/-10 g were divided into 6 groups (n=5 in each group): the control group, the 1-day-0.5 mg/kg, the 1-day-1 mg/kg, the 1-day-2 mg/kg, the 3-day-1 mg/kg, and the 7-day-1 mg/kg vardenafil administration group. The experiment was conducted without sexual stimulation. Vardenafil was orally administered. The animals in the control group received an equivalent amount of distilled water orally. The expression of oxytocin and c-Fos in the PVN was detected by immunohistochemistry.
RESULTS
Oxytocin expression in the PVN was increased by 1 day administration of 2 mg/kg vardenafil, and this effect of vardenafil appeared in a duration-dependent manner. c-Fos in the oxytocin neurons of the PVN was increased by 1 day administration of 2 mg/kg vardenafil, and this effect of vardenafil also appeared in a duration-dependent manner. These results showed that vardenafil augments the expression of oxytocin with activation of oxytocin neurons in the PVN.
CONCLUSIONS
In this study, we showed that the PDE-5 inhibitor, vardenafil directly enhances oxytocin expression and also activates oxytocin neurons in the PVN, which indicates that vardenafil may exert positive effects on affiliation behavior and social interaction.
Keyword
MeSH Terms
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Animals
Brain
Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 5
Humans
Imidazoles
Interpersonal Relations
Male
Neurons
Oxytocin
Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus
Piperazines
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Sulfones
Triazines
Water
Vardenafil Dihydrochloride
Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 5
Imidazoles
Oxytocin
Piperazines
Sulfones
Triazines
Water
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