Calcitonin inhibition of prolactin secretion in lactating rats: mechanism of action

The effects of intracerebroventricular (10 ng/rat) or intravenous (10 or 40 microg/15 min/rat) administration of salmon calcitonin (sCT) on the prolactin (PRL) response to suckling and the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) were examined in lactating rats. Plasma concentration of PRL increased dramatically in control rats after the onset of the suckling stimulus, while administration of sCT resulted in inhibition of PRL response to suckling. The action of sCT was much more effective with intracerebroventricular administration, which totally blocked PRL release, compared to intravenous administration. The intracerebroventricular administration of sCT increased TH activity of tuberoinfundibular dopamine neuron (TIDA) in the stalk-median eminence, as measured by DOPA accumulation, while completely suppressing the PRL response to suckling. Injection of alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (alpha-MT; 50 mg/kg), an inhibitor of TH and thus dopamine synthesis, increased PRL levels, and suckling caused a further increase in plasma concentrations of PRL. Injection of sCT (intracerebroventricularly) did not inhibit the PRL response to suckling in the presence of a depletion of dopamine. These results suggest that sCT inhibition of PRL secretion in lactating rats is mediated mainly by TIDA neurons without involvement of other neuroendocrine mechanisms.     

Endocrinological responses during suckling in Hatano high- and low-avoidance rats

Hatano high-avoidance (HAA) and low-avoidance (LAA) animals were originally selected from Sprague-Dawley rats for good and poor active avoidance learning in a shuttle box. We studied the endocrinological profile in lactating rats to determine the effect of suckling during mid-lactation in HAA and LAA rats. The pups were separated from their mother rats 6 h before the onset of suckling and blood samples were drawn from unanaesthetized mother rats via a jugular cannula at 0, 5 and 15 min after the suckling stimulus and then 15, 45 and 105 min after pups were removed. Plasma concentrations of oxytocin in HAA rats were significantly higher than in LAA rats during the suckling period. Plasma concentrations of prolactin and ACTH in HAA rats were significantly higher than in LAA rats during the suckling period, and at 15 min and 45 min after the pups were removed. However, there were no strain differences in circulating corticosterone between the two lines, indicating that the response of the hypothalamo-pituitary axis to the suckling stimulus was greater in HAA rats than in LAA rats, whereas the ACTH-induced adrenal response of corticosterone release was higher in LAA rats than in HAA rats. Since dopamine from the median eminence inhibits prolactin secretion from the lactotrophs of the anterior pituitary, and tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurones are partially regulated by the level of circulating prolactin, we evaluated the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting enzyme in dopamine biosynthesis. TH, measured by the accumulation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, was significantly higher in HAA rats than in LAA rats before the suckling stimulus. After the suckling stimulus, TH activity in HAA rats was significantly lower than before suckling, whereas TH activity in LAA rats was not changed. These findings clearly demonstrated that apparent differences between the two Hatano lines exist in endocrinological profiles during suckling. These strain differences probably originate from neurotransmitter changes, such as dopamine.     

The endogenous stimulatory rhythm regulating prolactin secretion is present in the lactating rat

Prolactin (PRL) secretion in the female rat is regulated by an endogenous stimulatory rhythm (ESR), which is normally under the tonic inhibition of dopamine (DA). The ESR consists of a nocturnal (N) component which peaks at approximately 03.00 h, and a diurnal (D) component which peaks at approximately 17.00 h. This ESR has been shown to be present in ovariectomized and cervically stimulated rats. We have proposed that the ESR is continuously present in the female rat and that any suppression of the tonic inhibitory influence on PRL secretion can reveal its existence. In this study, the effects of the DA-lowering stimulus of suckling was investigated at different times of day in lactating rats. In addition, the pattern of PRL secretion in freely lactating rats throughout a 24-hour period was studied. Female rats were separated from their pups for 6 h prior to reunion at either 03.00 (coincident with the N component), 12.00 (control) or 17.00 h (coincident with the D component) at various stages of lactation. Blood samples were collected from intra-atrial cannulae immediately before separation of pups and dams, immediately before reunion of pups and dams (0 time), and 15, 30, 60 and 120 min following reunion of pups and dams. Four days following parturition, dams suckled at either 03.00 or 17.00 h secreted significantly greater PRL than rats suckled at 12.00 h. Peak levels of PRL were 60-, 90- and 25-fold greater than 0 time levels, at 03.00, 17.00 and 12.00 h, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Posterior pituitary lobectomy abolishes the suckling-induced rise in prolactin (PRL): evidence for a PRL-releasing factor in the posterior pituitary

The aim of this study was to determine the role of the posterior pituitary in the regulation of PRL release during suckling. Lactating rats were subjected to posterior pituitary lobectomy (LOBEX) or sham surgery (SHAM) and separation from pups in the evening; experimental manipulations and blood collection were performed the next morning. In the first experiment rats were divided into three groups: SHAM, LOBEX, and LOBEX treated with a vasopressin analog, 1-desamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin and oxytocin. Plasma PRL levels in SHAM rats increased 20- to 25-fold upon introduction of pups and remained elevated for the duration of suckling. In contrast, basal plasma PRL levels in LOBEX rats were 3- to 4-fold higher than in SHAM but suckling failed to induce a further increase. Treatment of LOBEX rats with 1-desamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin and oxytocin reduced water consumption and allowed for milk ejection and milk intake by the pups but did not restore the suckling-induced rise in PRL. The second experiment tested the functional integrity of the hypothalamic dopamine (DA) and serotonergic systems after LOBEX and the ability of LOBEX-lactating rats to respond to PRL-releasing stimuli other than suckling. Injections of alpha-methyl-para tyrosine, an inhibitor of tyrosine hydroxylase, and 5-hydroxytryptophan, a precursor of serotonin, caused 20- to 30-fold rises in plasma PRL levels in both LOBEX and SHAM rats. Exposure to ether elicited a 3- to 4-fold rise in PRL which was higher in magnitude and of longer duration in LOBEX than in SHAM rats. Conclusions: Removal of the posterior pituitary from lactating rats results in an increase in basal PRL levels and a complete abolishment of the suckling-induced rise. Vasopressin and oxytocin restore water balance and milk ejection in the LOBEX rat but fail to affect PRL secretion. The LOBEX-lactating rat is not refractory to PRL-releasing stimuli other than suckling and its hypothalamic DA and serotonergic systems are functionally intact. In addition to DA, the posterior pituitary appears to contain a PRL-releasing factor(s) which mediates the suckling-induced rise in PRL.     

The vasopressin-associated glycopeptide is not a prolactin-releasing factor: studies with lactating Brattleboro rats

We have recently reported that the posterior pituitary contains PRL-releasing factor (PRF), a small (less than 5000 mol wt) peptide which induces a rapid, hormone-specific, and concentration-dependent stimulation of PRL secretion. Although the identity of posterior pituitary PRF is yet unknown, it is distinct from known PRL secretagogues. Recently, the vasopressin-associated glycopeptide (VAG), which is concentrated in the posterior pituitary, was suggested as a PRF. To investigate whether VAG functions as a PRF, we used Brattleboro rats, which are deficient in arginine vasopressin (AVP), AVP-associated neurophysin, and VAG. Homozygous (DI) and heterozygous (HZ) lactating Brattleboro rats were used. The water consumption of pregnant DI rats (greater than 300 ml/day) was 6-fold higher than that of HZ rats. To correct their water imbalance, DI rats were implanted with osmotic minipumps containing the vasopressin analog 1-desamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin. On days 7-8 of lactation, pups were separated for 6 h, and blood was collected from the dams via a jugular cannula. Upon introduction of the pups, plasma PRL levels increased 100-fold in both DI and HZ rats and remained elevated for the duration of suckling. The suckling-induced rises in plasma oxytocin in DI and HZ rats were also superimposable. The weight gains of the pups of DI and HZ mothers were similar. PRF activity was determined using perifused anterior pituitary cells. Posterior pituitaries from DI and HZ rats contained equivalent amounts of PRF activity. Moreover, purified rat VAG (1.5 and 6.0 micrograms) failed to stimulate PRL release from pituitary cells. The posterior pituitary content of immunoreactive AVP was 2500-fold higher in HZ rats, but the contents of dopamine and oxytocin were similar. It is concluded that VAG neither mediates the suckling-induced rise of plasma PRL, nor stimulates PRL secretion from perifused anterior pituitary cells. Furthermore, posterior pituitaries from DI and HZ rats contain equivalent amounts of PRF activity. Collectively, these data indicate that VAG is not the posterior pituitary PRF.     

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide stimulates calcium mobilization in amphibian pituitary cells.

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a 38-amino acid peptide of the glucagon-secretin-vasoactive intestinal polypeptide superfamily. Although PACAP is a potent stimulator of adenylate cyclase activity in the adenohypophysis, the precise target cells for PACAP in the anterior pituitary remain unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether PACAP could stimulate calcium mobilization in individual cells of the pituitary and to determine the type of cells that responded to PACAP. Enzymatically dispersed frog distal pituitary cells were plated on photoetched coverslips and cultured for 3-7 days. The cells were loaded with the fluorescent calcium indicator indo-1, and changes in intracellular calcium concentrations ([Ca2+]i) were monitored using dual wavelength microfluorimetry. The individual cells were localized with the aid of the alpha/numeric grid of the coverslips and identified retrospectively by immunofluorescence. Approximately 45% of GH and PRL cells and 25% of ACTH and TSH cells responded to PACAP (10(-5) M) ejection by an elevation of [Ca2+]i. Only 16% of gonadotropes were stimulated by PACAP. The time course of [Ca2+]i variations showed three different patterns: transient spikes, sustained stimulations, and oscillatory responses. In addition, heterogenous responses were observed within each cell type. These data provide evidence for the involvement of calcium mobilization in the mechanism of action of PACAP on pituitary cells. The results also indicate that in frogs, PACAP may stimulate the secretory activity of GH and PRL cells and, to a lesser extent, ACTH, TSH, and gonadotrope cells.     

The role of the suckling stimulus in regulating pituitary prolactin mRNA in the rat

Prolactin (PRL) gene expression and the synthesis and secretion of PRL were examined in ovarian-intact lactating rats suckling eight pups on 10 days postpartum. Plasma samples were assayed for PRL concentrations, and pituitary glands were analyzed for total PRL content and PRL mRNA levels. We found that suckling-induced hyperprolactinemia was associated with very high levels of plasma PRL and a doubling in pituitary PRL mRNA levels, whereas pituitary PRL content was not changed. Removal of the suckling pups decreased plasma PRL concentrations 15-fold within 24 h. This decrease in PRL secretion was not accompanied by any significant change in pituitary PRL content. Evidently, both synthesis and secretion of PRL were decreased in the pituitary gland within 24 h following cessation of suckling, as pituitary PRL mRNA content had returned to diestrous levels at this time. To determine whether or not ovarian steroids might have contributed to the changes in PRL synthesis and secretion during lactation and after withdrawal of the suckling stimulus, the experiments were repeated in lactating rats ovariectomized (OVX) on day 2 postpartum. The results in these OVX rats were qualitatively similar to those described in ovarian-intact rats. We concluded from these findings that the stimulus of suckling induces increases in PRL mRNA levels in the pituitary which provides for the increased PRL synthesis accompanying increased PRL secretion. The cessation of suckling led to prompt decreases in PRL synthesis and secretion within 24 h.     

Comparison of plasma profiles of oxytocin and prolactin following suckling in the rat

The purpose of these studies was to determine the effect of suckling on the plasma oxytocin (OT) concentration profile in conscious primiparous rats during midlactation. Comparisons were made with plasma prolactin (PRL) levels obtained in the same rats. OT levels in the majority of rats exhibited a single peak during the first 5-30 min, then fell rapidly during the course of a 45-min period of suckling. The plasma OT levels were sustained over a longer period in mothers suckling 8 rather than 6 pups; the amplitudes of the OT response were similar, however. By contrast, plasma PRL profiles indicated that a steady secretion of the hormone occurred throughout the suckling period, with suckling of 8 pups resulting in significantly higher plasma levels than suckling of 6 pups. A considerably greater increase in the peak plasma OT concentration resulted when hungry foster litters of 6 pups were suckled after the mothers' own 6 pups had been suckled. Plasma PRL levels during the two sucklings, though, were similar. The rapid onset of the OT response to suckling was seen more clearly in urethane-anesthetized rats following mammary nerve stimulation. Plasma OT levels rose to a peak within 5 s after the onset, then fell to prestimulus levels by the end of the 65-second stimulation period. These results suggest that different regulating mechanisms are involved in the secretory responses of OT and PRL to suckling and that different thresholds of activation are likely to exist for the two hormones.     

Inhibition of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) mimics suckling-induced sensitization of mammotropes: involvement of a pertussis toxin (PTX) sensitive G-protein and the adenylate cyclase (AC).

In lactating rats, suckling renders mammotropes more responsive to prolactin (PRL)-releasing stimuli and less responsive to PRL-inhibiting secretagogues. We have previously shown that a decrease in the activity of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) may be responsible for the decrease in responsiveness to the inhibitory secretagogue dopamine (DA). In our present experiments, we have studied the involvement of the adenylate cyclase (AC), stimulatory and inhibitory GTP-binding proteins and also the role of PP2A in the sensitization phenomenon. Pituitary cells obtained from mother rats separated from their pups for 4 h prior to dispersion (non-suckled), suckled for 10 or 30 min after the separation period (suckled) and without separation (continual suckling) were incubated in the presence of different doses of forskolin to activate AC and DA. In a further study, pituitary cells of non-suckled rats were pretreated with cholera toxin (CTX) or pertussis toxin (PTX) and tested for the stimulatory action of forskolin or TRH on PRL release. Ocadaic acid (OA) pretreatment has been used to investigate the involvement of PP2A. Hormone secretion was measured by the reverse hemolytic plaque assay (RHPA). Our results have shown that cells from non-suckled rats were unresponsive to forskolin. A 10-min suckling stimulus sensitizes pituitary mammotropes to respond with a PRL release to a dose-dependent activation of AC by forskolin. This sensitization of AC becomes a permanent feature of the cells when suckling continues for an additional 20 min. We have also found that pituitary mammotropes from non-suckled dams respond to forskolin or TRH with PRL release when they were preincubated with either PTX or the PP2A inhibitor OA. It clearly indicates that the non-responsive pituitary can be shifted to the responsive stage by uncoupling of inhibitory G-protein from its receptor as well as by inhibition of PP2A. This latter finding, consonant with our previous results, suggests that suckling may cause selective changes in the function of G(i) of mammotropes due to a rapid phosphorylation which can remove tonic, GTP-dependent inhibitory function.     

Neuropeptide regulation of interleukin-6 production from the pituitary: stimulation by pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide and calcitonin gene-related peptide.

Interleukin 6 (IL-6) production was shown to be stimulated by vasoactive intestinal peptide via cAMP dependent signal transduction pathway in the pituitary. We were interested in whether other hypothalamic neuropeptides, which activate adenylate cyclase in the pituitary, also stimulate pituitary IL-6 production. Whereas vasoactive intestinal peptide was effective in stimulating pituitary IL-6 production only at concentrations of 10(-6) M or higher, pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide with 38 residues (PACAP38) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) at concentrations from 10(-10) to 10(-9) M significantly stimulated IL-6 production. Similar effective concentrations of each peptide were required for activating adenylate cyclase, as measured by extracellular cAMP accumulation. H89, a specific inhibitor of cAMP dependent protein kinase (protein kinase A), inhibited IL-6 production stimulated by PACAP38, CGRP, and (Bu)2cAMP. However, H89 failed to inhibit the IL-6 production stimulated by lipopolysaccharide, a ligand which enhanced IL-6 production in the absence of cAMP accumulation. Two other peptides which are known to activate pituitary adenylate cyclase, corticotropin-releasing factor and GRF failed to stimulate IL-6 production in pituitary cells. Using discontinuous Percoll gradients to fractionate the pituitary cells, the greatest PACAP38-stimulated IL-6 secretion was observed in the low density fraction 1 (F1). This fraction also contained the highest percentage of folliculo-stellate (FS) cells, one of the nonhormone secreting pituitary cells. However, the largest PACAP38-induced accumulation of cAMP was observed in F4. These results suggest that the production of IL-6 stimulated by PACAP and CGRP is mediated by the adenylate cyclase/protein kinase A signal transduction system. FS cells appear to be the most likely target cell type for PACAP-induced IL-6 production. However, IL-6 producing FS cells may not be an exclusive target for PACAP in the pituitary.     

Regulation of prolactin secretion during suckling: involvement of the hypothalamo-pituitary GABAergic system

Previous results demonstrated that GABA exerts a dual control on PRL secretion, one excitatory mediated in part by the impairment of the tubero-infundibular dopaminergic (TIDA) system function, the other inhibitory occurring at the level of the anterior pituitary (AP), where 3H-GABA and 3H-Muscimol (3H-M) recognition sites have been described. This report provides evidence for a physiological role of the tubero-infundibular GABAergic system (TI-GA-BA) on PRL secretion in the rat. In lactating rats separated for 4 h from their pups reinstitution of suckling for different periods resulted in an increase either in glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) activity in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) or in AP-GABA content. Dynamic changes of the GABAergic function in the MBH-AP system seemed to have a certain degree of specificity because suckling did not affect GAD activity in the caudate nucleus. In lactating rats 2, 4, 8 and 24 h after removal of the offsprings AP-GABA concentrations and plasma PRL titers significantly decreased with respect to values present in rats never separated from their pups. Since it has been demonstrated that the PRL lowering effect of GABA is a receptor-mediated event, we have investigated the plasticity of AP-GABA receptors during suckling. The inhibitory action of GABA seems to be mediated mainly by the activation of the high affinity binding sites. This proposition is supported by the fact that in lactating rats, where only the high affinity receptor population is present, M was still able to decrease significantly plasma PRL concentrations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Plasma levels of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and oxytocin in response to suckling, electrical stimulation of the mammary nerve and oxytocin infusion in rats

The aim of the present study was to measure plasma levels of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and oxytocin following suckling, electrical stimulation of the mammary nerve and oxytocin infusion in lactating rats. Trunk blood was collected by decapitation after 5 and 20 min of suckling in conscious lactating rats. Repeated blood samples were drawn from the carotid artery in anesthetized rats, in connection with suckling, oxytocin infusion (0.22 nmol/l/kg/h) and electrical stimulation of the mammary nerve (5 V, 5 Hz, 2 ms). VIP and oxytocin levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. In conscious rats, VIP levels rose significantly from 18 +/- 5 to 102 +/- 30 pM after 5 min of suckling and to 123 +/- 25 pM after 20 min of suckling when milk ejection occurred. Oxytocin levels rose significantly from 90 +/- 24 to 269 +/- 45 pM during milk ejection. Suckling, oxytocin infusion and mammary nerve stimulation in anesthetized rats raised VIP levels significantly from 13 +/- 2, 18 +/- 5 and 10 +/- 2 to 43 +/- 8, 45 +/- 16 and 53 +/- 22 pM, respectively, whereas oxytocin levels rose from 111 +/- 34 to 294 +/- 66 pM after 20 min of suckling and to a peak value of 500 +/- 70 pM after oxytocin infusion. This study shows that VIP is elevated in plasma in lactating rats when the pups are suckling. The results showing that VIP levels rise following mammary nerve stimulation and oxytocin infusions indicate that both neurogenic and hormonal mechanisms can contribute to the regulation of VIP levels in plasma.     

Central Administration of PACAP Stimulates Gastric Secretion Mediated Through the Vagal Pathway in Anesthetized Rats

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activatingpolypeptide (PACAP) is a neuropeptide that wasoriginally isolated from ovine hypothalamic tissue. Thepeptide has two amidated forms, PACAP38 and PACAP27. Inthis study, we examined the effects of centrallyadministered PACAP38 and PACAP27 on gastric secretion inanesthetized rats. Centrally administered PACAPstimulated gastric acid and pepsin secretion in adose-dependent manner. PACAP38 was 1.5-2 times more potentthan PACAP27 on gastric secretion. By contrast,intravenously administered PACAP38 had no effect onbasal or pentagastrin-stimulated gastric secretion.PACAP6-38, a PACAP antagonist, by itself at high dosesalso stimulated gastric and pepsin secretion, but atlower doses had no effect. Centrally administeredPACAP6-38 at a dose that had no effect on gastricsecretion, atropine pretreatment, or vagotomypretreatment, suppressed the stimulatory effect ofPACAP38. It is concluded that centrally administeredPACAP may have a regulatory effect on gastric secretionthrough PACAP receptors and the vagalpathway.     

Evidence that thyrotropin-releasing hormone and a hypothalamic prolactin-releasing factor may function in the release of prolactin in the lactating rat

We have compared the effectiveness of TRH and a rat hypothalamic PRL-releasing factor (PRF; previously incubated with rat serum to destroy TRH) in stimulating the release of PRL into the plasma of conscious lactating rats when injected before and after pituitary PRL had been depleted and transformed into releasable PRL by 10 min of suckling. TRH (1.25 microgramsss) and PRF [equivalent to 2.5 stalk median eminence (SME) fragments] each caused a small increase (38 and 30 ng, respectively) in the plasma PRL concentration within 10 min when injected into nondepleted mothers. The levels then fell quickly. Suckling, by comparison, caused a sustained 175 ng/ml increase above basal levels. Though PRL depletion occurred, as expected, as a result of suckling, there was no measurable depletion within the pituitaries of TRH- or PRF-injected rats. By contrast, the iv administration of TRH (doses ranging from 2-250 ng) and hypothalamic PRF (doses ranging from 0.2-1.0 SME equivalent) after depletion-transformation had been effected by 10 min of suckling resulted in a rapid and, in most instances, a sustained elevation in the plasma PRL concentration comparable to that seen after suckling. Dose-response relationships, though, were not clearly evident with either PRF or TRH. Neither saline, 1.25 microgram TRH previously incubated in serum, 50 mU oxytocin, 1 microgram dopamine, 25 microgram LHRH, nor an extract of cerebral cortex prepared in the same manner as hypothalamic TRH caused plasma PRL to rise after PRL depletion. We conclude that TRH and possibly a separate hypothalamic PRF have a stimulatory action upon the releasable, but not upon the depletion-transformation, phase of PRL secretion in the lactating rat.     

Investigation into the role of dopamine and lysosomes in the impairment of prolactin transformation and release imposed by long periods of non-suckling in the rat

The transformation of prolactin (PRL) within lactating rat hemipituitary glands incubated for 240 min and the release of the hormone into the incubation medium were progressively reduced by dopamine added to the medium over a 2.3-49 mumol/l range of concentration; the antilysosomal drug chloroquine did not alter these effects of dopamine. In related experiments, the short-term action of dopamine was manifested also upon in vitro transformation, repletion and release of in vivo labelled [3H]PRL, thus indicating that dopamine inhibits all phases of PRL secretion by the lactating rat anterior pituitary (AP). In other experiments, increasing the non-suckling period from 8 to 16 h reduced the pre-suckled concentration of PRL in the lactating rat AP, reduced the ability of the AP to transform PRL in response to suckling, and reduced the capability of the AP of such rats to secrete PRL in vitro. Injecting chloroquine (0.2 mmol/kg ip), haloperidol (0.27 mumol/kg ip) or providing 15-30 min of suckling midway during the 16-h non-suckling period restored each of these functions. Thus, frequent uncoupling of dopamine from its receptor appears necessary to prevent impairment of the suckling-induced transformation mechanism in the lactating rat AP and, presumably, to prevent PRL in the lactotrope from reaching an age where it becomes susceptible to lysosomal degradation.     

Evidence for a physiological role for oxytocin in the control of prolactin secretion

The presence of oxytocin (OT) in neuronal elements of the external layer of the median eminence and in hypophysial portal plasma suggests a role for the peptide in the control of anterior pituitary function. We have reported previously that OT stimulates PRL release in vitro; therefore, we attempted to establish evidence for a physiological PRL-releasing role for OT. Plasma OT levels rose significantly just before the PRL surges occurring during a suckling stimulus in lactating rats (10 min after pup reinstatement vs. 15 min for PRL) and 48 h after estrogen injection in ovariectomized (OVX) rats (at 1200 h vs. 1300 h). Dispersed anterior pituitary cells harvested from lactating female rats and OVX estrogen-primed rats released PRL in a specific, significant, and dose-related fashion when perifused in vitro with incubation medium containing 10(-7)-10(-9) M OT, doses similar to levels found previously in hypophysial portal plasma. Infusion of antiserum specific for OT into lactating females before pup reinstatement and into estrogen-primed OVX rats 2 h before the expected release of endogenous OT delayed and significantly reduced subsequent PRL surges compared to levels in saline-or normal rabbit serum-infused rats; however, PRL release was not completely abolished. These data indicate that OT plays a physiological role in the hypothalamic control of PRL secretion and further suggest the importance of multiple factors in coordinated regulation of PRL release.     

Qualitative changes in luteinizing hormone and prolactin responses to N-methyl-aspartic acid during lactation in the rat

The suppression during lactation of pulsatile LH release and pituitary GnRH receptors has been attributed to a primary deficit in hypothalamic GnRH release. In the present investigation we have attempted to characterize the responsiveness of the lactational hypothalamus using the excitatory amino acid receptor agonist N-methyl-aspartic acid (NMA) to stimulate LH and PRL secretion. Lactating rats were ovariectomized on day 2 postpartum, and their litters were adjusted to eight pups. Dual venous catheters were implanted 6-7 days later, and rats were fitted with protective tethers and jackets for chronic pulsatile infusions of GnRH and NMA. GnRH pulses (5 or 10 ng/pulse once every 50 min) were administered for 20 h to up-regulate GnRH receptors and restore pituitary responsiveness to GnRH. Rats were then infused with NMA (40 mg/kg BW.pulse) once every 50 min for four pulses or once every 2 h over a 24-h period. Blood samples were collected at 10-min intervals at times surrounding the final two GnRH pulses, the first several NMA pulses, and the final three NMA pulses 24 h later. Samples were analyzed for LH and PRL by RIA. Procedural control experiments were performed in normal adult rats with NMA administered at 20 mg/kg BW.pulse in males and at 20 and 40 mg/kg BW.pulse in females. Whereas normal rats responded to NMA pulses with unambiguous LH and PRL peaks, lactating rats failed to show LH responses either acutely or after 24 h of treatment. PRL responses to the drug depended upon the circulating levels of the hormone immediately preceding each NMA pulse. When levels were elevated (presumably due to intermittent suckling by the pups), NMA infusion resulted in an acute suppression of PRL. When PRL levels were low, NMA appeared to neither stimulate nor inhibit this hormone. These data suggest that GnRH release from the hypothalamus of the lactating rat is refractory to NMA stimulation, perhaps due to suckling-induced activation of endogenous opioid peptide or gamma-aminobutyric acid systems that could suppress GnRH neurons. Conversion of the PRL response from stimulation by NMA in normal animals to inhibition during lactation might be attributed to simultaneous activation of both dopamine neurons and the PRL-releasing factor system. According to this hypothesis, the response to NMA would be dominated by PRL-releasing factor in normal rats and by dopamine in lactating animals, which have a lower dopamine turnover rate and thus a greater potential for becoming activated by NMA.     

Suckling-mediated increases in urinary phosphate and 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate excretion in lactating rats: possible systemic effects of parathyroid hormone-related protein.

Earlier studies have shown that lactation-induced bone loss in the rat is both PTH- and vitamin D-independent and have suggested the involvement of another, as yet unidentified, factor(s) in the altered calcium metabolism which accompanies lactation. In the present study, we investigated the possibility that PTH-related protein (PTHrP), which is produced in lactating mammary glands, is a putative calciotropic factor acting systemically during lactation. To test this hypothesis, we examined changes in urinary phosphate and cAMP excretion in relation to suckling since phosphaturia (P-uria) and increased urinary cAMP excretion are sensitive parameters of PTHrP action on the kidney. When lactating rats (separated from their pups overnight) were allowed to suckle pups for 1 h, they showed a marked P-uria which lasted 3-4 h. In most instances, a transient increase in cAMP excretion preceded the P-uria. These effects were not abolished by thyroparathyroidectomy; hence they are not attributable to a transient increase in PTH secretion. Administration of PRL or oxytocin did not induce significant P-uria. When lactating rats were pretreated with anti-PTHrP anti-serum, the suckling-associated P-uria was prolonged and augmented. This prolongation of P-uria was similar to the effects observed when exogenous PTHrP (1-34)amide was administered in the presence of the antiserum. These data support the hypothesis that some of the PTHrP produced in lactating mammary glands may be released systemically during suckling and act in an endocrine manner on target organs such as the kidney.     

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide releases 7B2, adrenocorticotrophin, growth hormone and prolactin from the mouse and rat clonal pituitary cell lines AtT-20 and GH3.

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a neuropeptide originally isolated from ovine hypothalami and so called because of its ability to stimulate pituitary adenylate cyclase activity. Alternative amidation and proteolytic processing of prepro-PACAP gives rise to two bioactive-amidated forms, PACAP-NH2(1-38) (PACAP-38) and PACAP-NH2(1-27) (PACAP-27). 7B2 is a polypeptide of 185 amino acids which is predominantly found in secretory granules and is widely distributed in rat and human tissues. We investigated the ability of the two forms of PACAP to stimulate GH, prolactin and 7B2 release by the rat pituitary clonal cell line GH3, and ACTH and 7B2 by the mouse pituitary clonal cell line AtT-20. PACAP-38 and PACAP-27 stimulated 7B2 and GH/prolactin or ACTH secretion with a similar efficacy over the 2-h incubation period from GH3 and AtT-20 cells respectively. 7B2 secretion was also stimulated by corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF-41) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) in AtT-20 cells, and thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH) and VIP in GH3 cells. Addition of PACAP to CRF-41 resulted in an additive effect on ACTH secretion and a synergistic effect on 7B2 secretion in AtT-20 cells. No synergism was observed when PACAP was added together with TRH, either on GH and prolactin secretion or on 7B2 release from GH3 cells. PACAP-mediated 7B2 secretion from both cell lines and PACAP-stimulated ACTH release from AtT-20 cells were reduced by 5 mg octapeptide synthetic somatostatin analogue/l (5 mg SMS 201-995/l).     

Histidyl-proline-diketopiperazine (cyclo-his-pro) inhibits the suckling- and domperidone-induced transformation of prolactin in the lactating rat

The histidyl-proline-diketopiperazine (cyclo-his-pro) metabolite of TRH inhibited the transformation of prereleasable PRL within the anterior pituitary and as a consequence, the normal rise in plasma PRL levels when injected before suckling. The dose (400 ng) was administered five times at 1-min intervals. PRL suppression was similar to that resulting from dopamine injected at the same rate. Combined injections of cyclo-his-pro and dopamine, each at the 400 ng/min for 5 min rate, provoked a greater inhibition of PRL than did either alone. Neither cyclo-his-pro nor dopamine inhibited the suckling-induced release of PRL in rats whose PRL had previously been transformed by a short (10-min) period of suckling. The stimulatory effects of iv administered domperidone (0.005 or 0.01 mg/rat) and haloperidol (0.2 mg/rat) upon PRL transformation and release in the lactating rat were substantially reduced by cyclo-his-pro in a dose-related fashion over a range of doses from 200-800 ng/min for 5 min. These results demonstrate that cyclo-his-pro inhibits PRL secretion in the lactating rat after suckling, primarily through inhibition of the transformation phase, and that the inhibitory mechanism may involve an interaction with dopamine.