Endocrine Hormone-Pheromone Interaction

The role of the endocrine system in pheromone perception and production is now unequivocally demonstrated 280, 312, 313, 327-354). 

The primer pheromone (for definition see page 2) of sexually mature females increases the plasma testosterone level of male mice 329), raises the basal levels of plasma corticosteroids in individually housed females as well as in virgin female mice and influences the attractiveness of female rats to sexually experienced males 280). 

Production of a female attractant pheromone by the preputial glands of the male mouse is androgen dependent, since it is suppressed by injection of the anti-androgen ciprotene acetate, but is restored by treatment with testosterone. This releaser pheromone is absent from the preputial glands of castrated males 346). 

ScHWENDE and collaborators 354) reported that female mice that had been made to go into estrus through implantation showed an increase in the levels of -pentyl acetate, cw-2-penten-l-yl acetate, / -toluidine and 2-heptanone excreted in urine. 

In an experiment to determine whether the pituitary gland controls the production of those chemical signals present in female mouse urine which are responsible for LH release in males and the attractiveness of this urine to males, Johnston and Bronson 278) concluded that there are at least two distinct odors in female urine. The first is dependent on the pituitary and provokes LH release in males, while the second is dependent on the ovary and attracts males. 

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