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Role of oxytocin in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) in the modulation of paternal behavior in mandarin voles

Wei Yuan,Zhixiong He,Wen-juan Hou,Li-min Wang,Lai-fu Li,Jing Zhang,Yang Yang,Rui Jia,Hui Qiao,F. Tai

Published 2019 in Hormones and Behavior

ABSTRACT

&NA; Parental care plays an important role in individual survival and development in mammals. Many studies have focused on the mechanisms underlying maternal behavior. However, the underlying neural mechanisms of paternal behavior are less understood. Using monogamous mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus), the present study found that fathers initiated more paternal behavior and the virgin male showed more infanticide. Moreover fathers had shorter latency to approach a pup at the postnatal day (PND) 10 than PND1, PND20 than nonfathers. Fathers had a shorter latency to take care of unfamiliar pups than nonfathers. They had higher levels of paternal behavior at PND 10 than PND1 and PND20 toward the mandarin vole pups. Fathers had a significantly higher serum concentration of oxytocin (OT) than virgin males. Both RT‐PCR and Western blot results indicated that the levels of the oxytocin receptor (OTR) in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) of fathers were significantly higher than in virgin males, but the levels of vasopressin 1a receptor (V1AR) mRNA and protein expression in the MPOA did not show significant differences. Microinjection of an oxytocin receptor antagonist into the MPOA significantly reduced the total duration of paternal behavior and increased the latency to approach the pup and initiate paternal behavior. Our results indicated that OT plays a key role in the modulation of paternal behavior via the MPOA. HighlightsNew fathers had a shorter latency to take care of pups than nonfathers.New fathers engaged in more paternal behavior than nonfathers.New fathers had higher levels of serum OT and OTR mRNA and protein expression in the MPOA than nonfathers.OTA microinjection into the MPOA in new fathers increased the latency to take care of the pups.OTA microinjection into the MPOA in new fathers reduced levels of paternal behavior.

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