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Rapid ejaculator rats are more susceptible to anxiety compared with normal ejaculator rats

International Journal of Impotence Research (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

By observation of Sprague–Dawley male rats with different ejaculatory behaviors, we have identified distinct behavioral characteristics in rapid ejaculator rats. To validate these differential behaviors, we conducted multifaceted behavioral experiments on rapid ejaculator rats and normal rats. Through mating experiments, 42 male rats were categorized into 5 rapid ejaculator rats, 29 normal ejaculator rats, and 8 sluggish ejaculator rats according to their ejaculation frequency. We selected 5 rats exhibiting rapid ejaculation and 5 rats with normal ejaculation for participation in the Morris water maze, open-field test, and balance beam experiments. The open-field tests revealed that rapid ejaculator rats spent shorter time in the center region (1.23 ± 1.21 vs. 6.56 ± 2.40 s, P = 0.0041), less entered the center region (0.80 ± 0.75 vs. 3.40 ± 1.50, time, P = 0.0145), traveled shorter distances (17,003.77 ± 3339.42 vs. 25,037.90 ± 5499.94 mm, P = 0.0371), and had a lower average speed compared with normal rats (66.09 ± 62.36 vs. 195.56 ± 83.41 mm/s, P = 0.0377). However, no significant differences were observed in the Morris water maze and balance beam experiments (0.25 ± 0.05 vs. 0.26 ± 0.07, P = 0.7506;16.40 ± 3.77 vs. 16.25 ± 2.05, P = 0.9515). These behavioral results indicated that the rapid ejaculator rats were more prone to anxiety. To further substantiate this claim, we examined Brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression levels in the hippocampus of rat brains using immunohistochemistry and western blotting. The results demonstrate lower Brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in the hippocampus of rapid ejaculator rats compared with that in normal rats (P = 0.0093). Thus, our experiments indicate that rapid ejaculator rats exhibit a higher propensity for anxiety, potentially linked to their abnormal neurophysiologic state. It is concluded that rapid ejaculator rats may be more susceptible to anxiety on a pathophysiological basis.

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Fig. 1: The rapid ejaculator rats exhibited anxiety-like behaviors.
Fig. 2: Expression of BDNF in the hippocampus of each group.

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All data generated or analyzed during this study can be obtained by contacting me via email (13913957628@163.com).

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Dr. Yerong Jiang for her guidance on this paper.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Chunlu Xu, Ning Wu.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Andrology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210000, China

    Chunlu Xu, Tao Song & Yutian Dai

  2. Department of Urology, People’s Hospital of Jiaozuo City, No. 263 Jiefang Middle Road, Jiaozuo City, Henan Province, 454002, China

    Ning Wu

  3. Department of Drum Tower Clinical Medical College, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, No 321 Zhongshan Road, Gulou District, Nanjing, 210023, China

    Ning Wu

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Contributions

Chunlu Xu drafted the manuscript. Tao Song carried out the Immunohistochemistry and Western Blot and performed the statistical analysis. Ning Wu carried out the Copulation test and participated in the revision work. Yutian Dai conceived of the study, and participated in its design and coordination and helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Tao Song or Yutian Dai.

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Xu, C., Wu, N., Song, T. et al. Rapid ejaculator rats are more susceptible to anxiety compared with normal ejaculator rats. Int J Impot Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-024-00888-5

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