Sex Differences in Androgen Receptors and Aromatase Activity in Microdissected Regions of the Rat Brain*
Abstract
Males are generally more responsive than females to the behavioral and neuroendocrine actions of androgens. The present experiments were performed to determine whether these differences may result from sex differences in the number of androgen receptors (AR) in specific brain areas. For this reason, AR binding was compared in both cytosol (ARc) and cell nuclear KCl extracts (ARn) from microdissected brain regions of gonadectomized male and female rats treated with doses of testosterone (T) that produced equivalent physiological circulating androgen levels. In addition, microsomal aromatase activity was measured as a biochemical index of tissue responsiveness to T, since estrogen formation in certain brain areas is regulated by androgen. One week after exogenous T administration, males exhibited significantly higher levels of ARn than females in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, periventricular preoptic area, and ventromedial nucleus. Males also had significantly higher aromatase levels in these same areas plus the medial preoptic nucleus and anterior hypothalamus. There were no significant differences in ARn concentrations in eight other nuclei that were examined for significant sex differences in ARc levels observed under these experimental conditions. When ARc levels were compared in untreated gonadectomized male and female rats, males had greater levels of ARc in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis only, indicating that new receptor synthesis may be responsible…
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Aromatase expression is much higher in the male stria terminalis, paraventricular pre-optic area, ventromedial nucleus, pre-optic nucleus, and anterior nucleus of the hypothalamus.
“One of the most widely studied of these is aromatase, whose expression levels are much higher in the male stria terminalis, paraventricular pre-optic area, ventromedial nucleus, pre-optic nucleus, and anterior nucleus of the hypothalamus (Roselli, 1991).”
From Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal and hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axes: sex differences in regulation of stress responsivity (2017) · cites this paper as Roselli, 1991
Androgen enhances BST aromatase levels in males more than in females.
“since androgen enhances BST aromatase levels in males more than in females (Roselli et al., 1985a,b;Roselli, 1991)”
From Sex differences in the effects of testosterone and its metabolites on vasopressin messenger RNA levels in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis of rats (1994) · cites this paper as Roselli, 1991
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Distribution and regulation of aromatase activity in the rat hypothalamus and limbic system
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“One of the most widely studied of these is aromatase, whose expression levels are much higher in the male stria terminalis, paraventricular pre-optic area, ventromedial nucleus, preoptic nucleus, and anterior nucleus of the hypothalamus (Roselli, 1991).”
BackgroundGonadal steroid hormones and the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal axis
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- Authors
- ROSELLI, C. E.
- Affiliations
- Oregon National Primate Research Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- ROSELLI, CHARLES E.
- ORCID
- ROSELLI, CHARLES E.
- Venue
- Endocrinology
- Publisher
- The Endocrine Society
- Published
- 1991-03
- Volume
- 128
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 1310-1316
- ISSN
- 0013-7227 (ISSN-L)
- 1945-7170
- OpenAlex
- W2156986289
- Cited by
- 139
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 6 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 2.61
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Endocrinology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (5r29hd023293-05)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P30 HD-18185, HD-23293, P30HD018185)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Estrogen and related hormone effects
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Keywords
- androgen receptor, aromatase, sex differences, androgen response, testosterone, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, preoptic area, ventromedial hypothalamus, hypothalamus, gonadectomy, receptor synthesis
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Aromatase, Brain, Castration, Dissection, Female, Male, Rats, Inbred Strains, Receptors, Androgen, Sex Characteristics, Tissue Distribution, Rats
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