In search of animal models for male sexual dysfunction
Abstract
Around half of all men have sexual problems. The main complaints and prevalence are orgasmic disorders (10%), premature ejaculation (PE) (27%), and erectile difficulties (10%). These statistics do not include the sexual side effects of medications such as antidepressants. Research experiments in humans can be very time consuming or unethical. The present thesis deals with the development of an animal (rat) model that has face, predictive, and construct validity towards human sexual behavior and its disorders, and can be used to study the effects but also the side effects of psychoactive drugs on sexual behavior. Sexually trained male rats have stable low, normal or fast ejaculating behaviors. Low ejaculating rats can be used to examine orgasmic problems, while fast ejaculating rats for premature ejaculations. Normal ejaculating rats can be used to investigate side effects of medication (either stimulatory or inhibitory). The animal model provides face and predictive validity to the human situation where the inhibitory effects of SSRIs appear after chronic administration, and not after acute administration. In line with clinical experience, marked blockade of serotonin transporters (SERT) interfered with male sexual behavior, in contrast to the dopamine (DA) and noradrenaline (NA) reuptake inhibitor, bupropion. Further, other drugs that primarily increase levels of DA and NA versus serotonin (5-HT) (the 5-HT1A agonist, buspirone; the triple reuptake inhibitor, DOV216,303 and…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a thesis, done in animal, not in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
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