Medial preoptic area δ-opioid receptors inhibit lordosis

Endogenous opioid peptides that activate the delta-opioid receptor (DOR) are thought to facilitate female receptive behavior. This facilitation of lordosis has been demonstrated by intracerebroventricular infusions and injection of DOR-active ligands into the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus, an area with robust DOR binding. However, DOR binding is distributed throughout the hypothalamus, and the role of DOR in other areas of the hypothalamus has not been examined. In the current study, we demonstrated DOR immunoreactivity in the medial preoptic area (MPO), in particular medial preoptic nucleus (MPN) of the preoptic area. DOR immunoreactive processes were sparsely distributed in the medial and lateral parts of the MPN. Larger DOR immunoreactive fibers were localized in the ventrolateral aspect of the lateral MPN. The MPN is involved in the modulation of female sexual receptivity and the distribution of DOR in this area suggested to us that DOR may regulate lordosis. Ovariectomized rats with unilateral cannulae aimed at the MPN were given 5 mug 17beta-estradiol benzoate (EB), once every 4 days and tested for lordosis. [D-Pen(2), D-Pen(5)]-enkephalin (DPDPE), a DOR agonist, microinfused into the MPO, 52-54 h after EB-priming, inhibited lordosis when compared with the aCSF (vehicle) control (P less than or equal to 0.05). The inhibitory effects of DPDPE were reversed by microinjection of naltrindole, a DOR antagonist (P less than or equal to 0.05). Interestingly, the DOR inhibition of lordosis is similar to the mu-opioid receptor inhibition of lordosis in the MPN. These results indicate that DOR in the MPO, particularly in the MPNm, plays an important role in the regulation of lordosis. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.