In order to investigate the gonadal regulation of pituitary somatostatin receptors (SSTRs)-gene expression, we studied the existence of sexual dimorphism on SSTR1, SSTR2, and SSTR3 mRNA levels in the rat anterior pituitary. The roles of testosterone and other non-androgenic testicular factors were also evaluated. SSTR1, SSTR2 and SSTR3 mRNA content were assessed by in-situ hybridization in male rats lacking the influence of androgenic and/or non-androgenic testicular factors. We found that SSTR1 and SSTR3 mRNA levels in the anterior pituitary exhibited sexual dimorphism. Moreover, our data indicate that SSTR1 mRNA levels are regulated by testosterone, while SSTR3 mRNA content is regulated by non-androgenic testicular factors. In contrast, SSTR2 levels are not influenced by gonadal function.