The aim of this study was to examine whether and how different odorants placed on the bodies of female mice, but having no reward value for the males, affect courtship and mating behaviour of male mice towards females in oestrus and thus emitting female pheromones. In this manner, certain consequences of concurrent activation of the main olfactory system and the vomeronasal system were investigated. Four different odorants (white musk, lavender, peppermint and valerian) were used for swabbing female mice in oestrus. Using a total of 160 sexually naive outbred mice of both sexes, divided for each of 4 odorants into controls (not swabbed with odorant) and two experimental groups, in the experimental group I the females observed previously as controls were swabbed with one of the 4 odorants, while in the experimental group II, new naive females were swabbed with one of the 4 odorants. The females were observed in individual cages for 30 min. each, together with a respective sexually naive male. The latency between introduction of a male into a cage with a previously swabbed female and initiation of courtship and mating behaviours by males (sniffing, circling, misdirected mounting, copulation failures, successful copulation) was recorded. Latency to the occurrence of all sexual behaviours was significantly longer in experimental groups compared to controls. Latency to initiation of courtship behaviour, especially sniffing and circling, was shorter towards females swabbed with peppermint odour than for other odorants, indicating no aversion to this odour. However, the peppermint odour completely inhibited copulation. It is concluded that alien volatile odours with no reward value nevertheless exert differentiated suppressing effects on female mice pheromones inducing courtship and mating behaviour. Thus, it is hypothesized that the activation of the main olfactory system suppresses the accessory vomeronasal system.
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