Effects of Non-Contingent Cocaine on 3alpha-Androstanediol: Disruption of Male Sexual Behavior

The study, conducted on 45 male rats, examined the impact of non-contingent acute cocaine administration on male sexual behavior and androgen levels. Cocaine was found to significantly affect consummatory sexual behaviors, such as increasing the latency to mount and intromit, and reducing the number of sexual contacts, without affecting sexual interest. It also disrupted the correlation between 3alpha-androstanediol (3α-diol) levels in the frontal cortex and hypothalamus/striatum and sexual behavior. Furthermore, cocaine administration altered testosterone metabolism, with low doses favoring metabolism towards 3α-diol in the midbrain, while moderate and high doses shifted metabolism towards estradiol. The findings suggest that cocaine impairs sexual behavior by disrupting 3α-diol levels or altering the conversion of testosterone to its metabolites in the brain, which could affect the salience of natural rewards and contribute to changes in motivation and disinhibition associated with cocaine addiction.