Serotonin in microdialysate from the mediobasal hypothalamus increases after progesterone administration to estrogen primed macaques

Estrogen and progesterone act on gene and protein expression in serotonin neurons in a manner that suggests serotonin neurotransmission should increase. However, measurement of extracellular serotonin in macaques was lacking. Elevated prolactin secretion can be an indicator of increased serotonergic function and prolactin is increased by combined estrogen and progesterone treatment. We examined extracellular serotonin by microdialysis in a well-characterized macaque model of steroid-induced prolactin secretion. Monkeys were fitted with 2 guide tubes directed to the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. Samples (75 μl/15-minute interval) were obtained via a tether–swivel device through sample lines into an adjoining room. Serotonin was measured with a modified commercial enzyme linked immunoassay (ELISA) kit. Fenfluramine infused through the probe (300 μM for 2 h; n = 2 trials) or administered intravenously (2.5 mg/kg; n = 2 trials) caused a marked increase in extracellular serotonin and verified the efficacy of the procedure. Three monkeys were maintained with an estrogen implant for 2 weeks. Each monkey was injected with 20 mg of progesterone s.c. in oil at 1500 h; microdialysis was initiated the next morning and samples were obtained for 24 h. There was a significant increase in serotonin between 40 and 43 h after the progesterone injection (P < 0.001, ANOVA). Serotonin averaged 59 ± 1 pg/sample from 18–30 h post-progesterone injection, and averaged 76 ± 2 pg/sample from 30–48 h post-progesterone injection (P < 0.0001; t-test). Since the increase in serotonin is delayed by ∼ 40 h after progesterone-injection, we speculate that the action of progesterone may involve either nuclear progestin receptors or membrane progestin receptors.