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Class I and II anabolic steroids produce opposite hedonic and rewarding effects in pubertal and adult mice
Author(s) -
Brito Paul,
Huertas Adhly,
Villafañe Blanca,
Ramos Keyla,
Rosa Dariana,
Barreto Jennifer
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.993.1
Subject(s) - anabolism , testosterone (patch) , methyltestosterone , testosterone propionate , endocrinology , medicine , androgen , conditioned place preference , mood , anxiety , chemistry , hormone , anabolic androgenic steroids , psychology , dopamine , clinical psychology , psychiatry
Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are synthetic derivates of testosterone. There are approximately 60 different AAS compounds that can be classified in three classes based upon their chemical structure and metabolites. Even short exposure to AAS can produce mood and behavioral symptoms. In previous experiments, we found that class I and II AAS induce hedonic and rewarding effects in adult mice. Recently, NIDA reported that 1.4 – 2.2% of adolescents ever tried steroids. In this study, we aimed to determine if AAS have hedonic properties in adolescent male mice. Animals received alternate androgen injections in a conditioned place preference (CPP) for 10 days. In addition, anxiety behaviors were measured. Androgens tested were testosterone propionate (TP) and 17α‐methyltestosterone (17α‐meT), class I and class III AAS, respectively. Three doses were tested (0.075, 0.75 and 7.5 mg/kg) for each drug. We have found a shift in place preference in animals treated with 17α‐meT in all doses tested, while TP showed no effect. In exploratory‐based anxiety, using light‐dark transitions, we found an increase in this parameter only with 17α‐meT (7.5 mg/kg). Body and gonadal weight were not affected in any of the AAS treatments. Our results suggest that developmental age, hormonal environment and AAS metabolism are important modulators of hedonia and reward.