ACTIVATION OF THE REPRODUCTIVE CHEMOSIGNAL IN THE UROGENITAL SYSTEM OF THE FEMALE MOUSE (ESTRADIOL-17BETA, CATHETERIZED, BLADDER URINE, PREPUTIAL FLUIDS, OVARIES)
Abstract
Recent findings have indicated that voided urine obtained from estrous female mice contains chemosignals which educe urogenital sniffs and mounts from male mice. Of interest was to investigate the urogenital sources of these chemosignals. Prior reports have been contradictory, but have indicated that vaginal tissue and the preputial gland may be sites of urogenital chemosignal activation in estrous mice. Five experiments were conducted. The subject sample consisted of 632 female SJL/J mice and 192 male SJL/J mice. Mice ranged from 85 to 100 days of age on the first day of behavioral testing. The 192 males (n = 16 per group) served as perceivers in the behavioral assays whereby their displays of urogenital sniffs and mounts were measures of chemosignal activity of the stimulus materials. Of the 632 female mice, 192 received ovariectomy and served as stimulus animals (i.e., targets of male sexual behavior) in the behavioral assays in which stimulus materials were applied to their urogenital areas. Independent groups of mice were tested twice to assess chemosignal activity of stimulus materials obtained from estrous sham operated mice (N = 190) and ovariectomized mice (N = 250). Voided urine from estrous mice was assessed in all experiments and served as the standard stimulus having total chemosignal activity. The following additional stimulus materials were evaluated for chemosignaling activity: estradiol-17Beta; bladder urine; vaginal fluids and urethral catheterized urine; voided urine without preputial gland imput and voided urine obtained from sham preputialectomized mice; and preputial extract. Findings revealed that voided urine obtained from estrous mice contained sniff- and mount-educing chemosignals. Sham preputialectomy did not reduce sniff- and mount-educing chemosignals. Estradiol-17Beta, vaginal fluids, voided urine without preputial fluids, and preputial extract were found to contain sniff- and mount-educing chemosignals; but significantly less than voided urine obtained from estrous mile. Bladder urine and urethral catheterized urine did not contain either sniff- or mount-educing chemosignal activity. It was concluded that vaginal fluids and preputial extract contribute sniff- and mount-educing chemosignals to voided urine obtained from estrous mice. Also, it may be that uncongugated estradiol-17Beta acts as a prochemosignal.
Subject Area
Psychology|Experiments
Recommended Citation
WEINHOLD, LINDA LILLIAN, "ACTIVATION OF THE REPRODUCTIVE CHEMOSIGNAL IN THE UROGENITAL SYSTEM OF THE FEMALE MOUSE (ESTRADIOL-17BETA, CATHETERIZED, BLADDER URINE, PREPUTIAL FLUIDS, OVARIES)" (1986). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI8615717.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI8615717
