A physiological dose of progesterone affects rat striatum biogenic amine metabolism

Ovariectomized rats injected with progesterone (50 micrograms s.c.) showed a peak in striatum dopamine (DA) concentration after 15 min followed by a decrease at 60-75 min and a return to control values 90 min after the steroid injection. The DA metabolites dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) were increased after the progesterone injection, with a peak at 45 min and a return to control values after about 2 h. Striatum serotonin (5-HT) concentrations remained unchanged after the progesterone injection while its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) was increased at 45 min and returned to control values after 2 h. The peak plasma progesterone concentration occurred 15-30 min after the steroid injection while estradiol concentrations were unchanged indicating no significant conversion of progesterone into estradiol. A similar experiment was performed in male rats. As with female rats, a progesterone injection led to a progesterone peak at 30 min while plasma estradiol levels remained unchanged. Male rats responded to the progesterone injection with a maximal increase of DA, DOPAC and HVA concentrations as soon as after 15 min and these amines remained elevated up to 75 min after the steroid injection. 5-HT and 5-HIAA remained unchanged after the progesterone injection. Thus, very small physiological doses of progesterone can increase striatum dopaminergic activity in rats of both sexes while serotonergic activity is influenced only in female rats. This effect is seen within minutes and is relatively short. It is probably non-genomic, presynaptic and similar to the effect of a small dose of a DA releasing agent.