Lordosis-inhibiting effect of progesterone in female rats with lesions in septum, preoptic area, or dorsal raphe nucleus

Radiofrequency lesions in the septum (SL), the preoptic area (POAL), or the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRL) were made in ovariectomized rats. In a control group of 16 females, ovariectomy, but no brain surgery, was performed. All animals except half of the control rats received injections of 5 mg progesterone (P) 1 h prior to the injection of 5 mu g/kg b.w. of estradiol benzoate (EB). Instead of 5 mg P, oil was administered to half of the controls. Forty-four hours after EB, all females received 0.5 mg P. A sexual behavior test was performed 4 h after the last injection of P. The result was that oil-treated control rats showed high lordosis quotient (LQ) and soliciting behavior. In contrast, low scores of LQ and no soliciting behavior were observed in all of the mg P-treated rats, even if the SL, POAL, or DRL was made. These results suggest that the septum, the preoptic area, and the dorsal raphe nucleus are not essential for the female sexual behavior-inhibiting mechanisms of progesterone.