Sexual motivation and performance in sexual naïve and experienced rats treated with ivermectin: an ultrasonic vocalization study

Authors

  • Paula da Silva Rodrigues Universidade Paulista, Programa de Pós-graduação Patologia Ambiental e Experimental, Laboratório de Psiconeuroimunologia, São Paulo – SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6870-0930
  • Ana Claudia Silva Sampaio Universidade Paulista, Programa de Pós-graduação Patologia Ambiental e Experimental, Laboratório de Psiconeuroimunologia, São Paulo – SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2298-2629
  • Éricka Patrícia da Silva Universidade Paulista, Programa de Pós-graduação Patologia Ambiental e Experimental, Laboratório de Psiconeuroimunologia, São Paulo – SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4573-2921
  • Ivana Barbosa Suffredini Universidade Paulista, Programa de Pós-graduação Patologia Ambiental e Experimental, Laboratório de Psiconeuroimunologia, São Paulo – SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5237-101X
  • Eduardo Fernandes Bondan Universidade Paulista, Programa de Pós-graduação Patologia Ambiental e Experimental, Laboratório de Psiconeuroimunologia, São Paulo – SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3887-0023
  • Maria Martha Bernardi Universidade Paulista, Programa de Pós-graduação Patologia Ambiental e Experimental, Laboratório de Psiconeuroimunologia, São Paulo – SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6860-9416
  • Thiago Berti Kirsten Universidade Paulista, Programa de Pós-graduação Patologia Ambiental e Experimental, Laboratório de Psiconeuroimunologia, São Paulo – SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4032-4355

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1678-4456.bjvras.2023.198441

Keywords:

Sexual behavior, Ultrasonic vocalizations, Latency to the first mount, Motivation

Abstract

In mammals, ivermectin acts as a GABAA receptor agonist and stimulates GABA release. Previous studies showed that ivermectin (IVM) reduces sexual performance, impairing the latency to the first mount and intromission. These parameters are usually considered motivational parameters of sexual behavior. However, IVM increases GABAergic activity leading to motor incoordination. Thus, it is reasonable to propose that IVM affects sexual performance via motor incoordination pathways. The present study analyzed ultrasonic vocalization in rats to verify whether IVM impairs sexual behavior via motivational mechanisms or motor impairment. Because sexual experience attenuates the impairment of motor performance, rats with sexual experience were also studied. Sexually naive and experienced rats were administered a therapeutic IVM dose and saline. The rats were exposed to receptive females, and the latency to the first mount was evaluated, followed by the 50-kHz USV test. IVM treatment in naïve rats increased the latency to first to mount relative to Saline naïve rats, while no differences were observed between saline and experienced rats. In naïve-IVM rats, a reduced frequency and total calls and increased mean time of calls occur relative to SAL-naïve rats. Experienced IVM rats did not show differences in the frequency, mean, and maximal calls close to Saline experienced rats. However, an increase in the total calls and the dominant frequency of calls were observed in IVM-experienced rats compared to Saline experienced rats. A negative and positive correlation occurred between the latency to the first mount and USVs in groups with and without ivermectin exposure. Hence, we propose that ivermectin increased the sexual motivation of rats exposed to a female in estrous based in USVs despite an increased latency to the first mount that occurred. The increased latency to the first mount resulted from motor incoordination, as previously observed and proposed by our group.

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2023-03-20

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Vol. 60 (2023)

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1.
Rodrigues P da S, Sampaio ACS, Silva Éricka P da, Suffredini IB, Bondan EF, Bernardi MM, et al. Sexual motivation and performance in sexual naïve and experienced rats treated with ivermectin: an ultrasonic vocalization study. Braz. J. Vet. Res. Anim. Sci. [Internet]. 2023 Mar. 20 [cited 2024 May 18];60:e198441. Available from: https://www.journals.usp.br/bjvras/article/view/198441