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Newswise – Hormones are key players in the endocrine system and have a great influence on our emotional and sexual well-being. The hormone oxytocin is involved in a wide range of emotions, from social bonding to maternal behaviors such as breastfeeding and breastfeeding. But the most popular and well-known role of oxytocin, which gives it its famous nickname “love hormone”, is its role in romantic and sexual emotions.
The functional mechanism of oxytocin in male sexual function and behavior is not clearly understood, but there is some evidence to support the role of oxytocin-specific nerve cells or neurons in the brain that project to the lower spinal cord and control erection. and penile ejaculation in rat men. Now, in a brand new study released in Current biology, a group of researchers led by Professor Hirotaka Sakamoto of the University of Okayama, Japan, explored this potential role of oxytocin and the underlying mechanisms in modulating male sexual function using rats as a model system.
Oxytocin is transferred from the brain to various parts of the body through the blood and from neuron to neuron through structures called “synapses”. However, the precise mechanisms by which poorly dispersed oxytocin fibers – structures responsible for the response to oxytocin in the central nervous system – cause the activation of widely distributed receptors remain unclear.
Japanese researchers investigated a novel non-synaptic mode of oxytocin transport through the central nervous system. When asked to explain this process, Prof Sakamoto refers to an interesting analogy: “Overall, the endocrine system, acting on distant organs diffused through the circulation, resembles a ‘broadcast satellite’ communication, while the synaptic transmission resembles ‘wired ethernet’. “Consequently, the localized volume transmission of peptides resembles ‘Wi-Fi’ communication, as it is a hybrid of both endocrine (satellite) and synaptic (ethernet) systems and can be the predominant mechanism of oxytocinergic modulation of behavior and socio-sexual cognition throughout the central nervous system. “
It is already known that spinal regions such as the spinal ejaculation generator (SEG) are known to control sexual functions in male rodents. To evaluate the role of oxytocin in copulatory and ejaculatory responses, the team injected oxytocin into the spinal column of male rats. The gastrin-releasing peptide or GRP neurons are an important component of the SEG, as they control the lower lumbar region connected to the muscles at the base of the penis, thus controlling erection and ejaculation.
Oxytocin caused increased sexual and neuronal activity in the injected animals. More specifically, oxytocin was found to directly activate SEG / GRP neurons via oxytocin receptors, which detect oxytocin and affect male sexual function in the rat lumbar spinal cord. The use of an oxytocin receptor antagonist, which reduces the activity of oxytocin receptors, resulted in a latency and decreased number of sexual activity and ejaculatory responses in most animals, confirming the importance of ‘oxytocin.
However, the question of oxytocin transport remained. Electron microscope images acquired from sections of the lumbar region excluded the presence of vesicles or synaptic connections. After ex vivo stimulation of exocytosis, they were able to observe oxytocin transport mediated by more passive diffusion into the extracellular spaces at non-synaptic sites.
Stressing the importance of the study, Prof Sakamoto observes: “Now that we have discovered a new neural mechanism, the ‘localized volume transmission’ of oxytocin from axons, involved in the control of male sexual function in the spinal cord, we can hope that this may lead to the development of treatments for male sexual dysfunction. “
This study therefore presents a completely new role for oxytocin in male sexual function, in addition to its long-standing “female-centric” role. Learning more about this “love hormone” can really help us foster healthier and longer lasting love relationships!
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