Biochemical Effects of Treatment with Oral Contraceptive Steroids on the Dopaminergic System of the Rat

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Abstract
The effects of acute and chronic administration of a combination of lynestrenol-mestranol, a widely employed contraceptive medication, on the dopaminergic system of the rat forebrain and striatum were investigated to better understand the biochemical basis of the neurological side-effects of steroid contraceptive drugs (SCDs). Both acute and chronic treatment increased the disappearance rate of striatal dopamine (DA) after synthesis blockade with α-methyl-p-tyrosine (α-MpT). Moreover, the conversion of 3H-tyrosine (3H-T) into 3H-DA was increased in the forebrain and striatum after chronic administration of this steroid combination. In the same animals, the utilization of tyrosine (T) is increased.