Androgens alter brain catecholamine content and blood pressure in the testicular feminized male rat

Androgens interact with catecholamines in the central nervous system (CNS) to regulate many physiological processes including blood pressure (BP). To test the hypothesis that testosterone (T) and 5a-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) modulate CNS catecholamines and BP through androgen receptor (AR)-dependent and independent mechanisms, we used the testicular feminized male (Tfm) rat. Females that carry the AR mutation (Tfm mutation) on the X chromosome were bred with spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) males. The normal AR male and Tfm offspring were divided into groups: control, castrated, castrated, and T or (DHT) replacement. In both AR normal and Tfm males, BP was reduced by castration, but T restored BP in both groups. In the amygdale, castration decreased dopamine (DA) in both strains and both T and DHT restored it. In the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis castration increased DA which was further increased by DHT and reduced to normal by T in both strains. In the frontal cortex, castration reduced DA content in both strains but only T restored it to normal in SHR but not in Tfm. Brain norepinephrine (NE) content showed a significant strain effect for the preoptic area (POA), but no treatment effect. Although castration did not change NE in the amygdala or POA in either strain, both T and DHT increased NE in the Tfm castrates. Blood pressure was influenced by T manipulation and correlated most significantly with DA content in the amygdala, frontal cortex, and stria terminalis. These data demonstrate an action of androgen on brain catecholamines and BP, which is independent of the classic androgen receptor.