Effect of gonadectomy on taste preference for glucose solutions in rats

Mature male and female rats maintained on an ad lib diet were given a choice between tap water and glucose solutions of different concentrations (1, 5 and 12 percent). Both sexes exhibited a definite preference for the 12 percent glucose solution, but the females drank significantly more than males. Gonadectomy produced neither quantitative nor qualitative changes in the choice made by male rats. On the contrary, gonadectomized females showed a depression of the 12 percent glucose solution intake and an increase in the 5 percent glucose solution intake, resulting in a decrease of the total fluid intake. A comparison of ovariectomized and intact female rats in regard to the self-selection of tap water and a 5 percent glucose solution confirmed the stimulatory effect of ovariectomy on the 5 percent glucose solution intake. When a choice between tap water and 12 percent glucose solution was permitted the ovariectomized rats showed a weaker positive response to the sweet solution than the intact female rats.