EFFECT OF RESERPINE ON PLASMA CONCENTRATIONS OF GROWTH HORMONE AND PROLACTIN IN THE DOMESTIC FOWL

Department of Zoology, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, * Department of Physiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, U.S.A. and †Department of Pure and Applied Zoology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT (Received 9 June 1978) It has been established that biogenic amines are involved in control of the secretion of prolactin (MacLeod, 1976) and growth hormone (GH; Martin, 1976) in mammals. In birds there is very little evidence for this, although in the domestic fowl it has recently been demonstrated that sytemically administered catecholamines (adrenaline and noradrenaline) markedly lower the concentration of GH in the peripheral plasma (Harvey & Scanes, 1978) and that serotonin stimulates the release of prolactin from incubated hemipituitary glands (Border & Chadwick, 1977). Therefore, to elucidate further the possible involvement of biogenic amines in the regulation of GH and prolactin secretion, the effect of reserpine (a 5-hydroxytryptamine- and catecholamine-depleting agent) on the concentrations