Effects of synthetic mammalian thyrotrophin releasing hormone, somatostatin and dopamine on the secretion of prolactin and growth hormone from amphibian and reptilian pituitary glands incubated in vitro

1984 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. R. Hall ◽  
A. Chadwick

ABSTRACT Pituitary glands of grassfrog (Rana pipiens), bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana), clawed toad (Xenopus laevis) and two species of terrapin (Chrysemys picta and Pseudemys scripta) were incubated in medium containing hypothalamic extract (HE), thyrotrophin releasing hormone (TRH), somatostatin, dopamine, or combinations of these treatments. Prolactin and GH concentrations in the medium were determined by densitometry after polyacrylamide-gel electrophoretic separation. Hypothalamic extract stimulated secretion of both hormones in all species tested. Thyrotrophin releasing hormone stimulated secretion of prolactin and GH, showing a biphasic pattern of response. Dopamine had little effect alone, but inhibited HE-and TRH-stimulated release of prolactin, but not GH, in both amphibia and reptiles. Somatostatin by itself had no apparent effect on release of hormones, but it inhibited HE- and TRH-stimulated release of GH from both amphibian and reptilian pituitary glands. These results indicate that factors affecting mammals and birds also interact in the regulation of secretion of prolactin and GH in lower vertebrate species. J. Endocr. (1984) 102, 175–180

1993 ◽  
Vol 138 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Harvey ◽  
V. L. Trudeau ◽  
R. J. Ashworth ◽  
S. M. Cockle

ABSTRACT Pyroglutamylglutamylprolineamide (pGlu-Glu-ProNH2) is a tripeptide with structural and immunological similarities to thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH; pGlu-His-ProNH2). Since TRH stimulates GH secretion in domestic fowl, the possibility that pGlu-Glu-ProNH2 may also provoke GH release was investigated. Unlike TRH, pGlu-Glu-ProNH2 alone had no effect on GH release from incubated chicken pituitary glands and did not down-regulate pituitary TRH receptors. However, pGlu-Glu-ProNH2 suppressed TRH-induced GH release from pituitary glands incubated in vitro and competitively displaced [3H]methyl3-histidine2-TRH from pituitary membranes. Systemic injections of pGlu-Glu-ProNH2 had no significant effect on basal GH concentrations in conscious birds, but promptly lowered circulating GH levels in sodiumpentobarbitone anaesthetized fowl. Submaximal GH responses of conscious and anaesthetized birds to systemic TRH challenge were, however, potentiated by prior or concomitant administration of pGlu-Glu-ProNH2. These results demonstrate, for the first time, that pGlu-Glu-ProNH2 has biological activity, with inhibitory and stimulatory actions within the avian hypothalamo-pituitary axis. These results indicate that pGlu-Glu-ProNH2 may act as a TRH receptor antagonist within this axis. Journal of Endocrinology (1993) 138, 137–147


1984 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Sheppard ◽  
K. I. J. Shennan

ABSTRACT We have studied the secretion of TSH and prolactin from perifused rat anterior pituitary glands in vitro in response to single pulses of thyrotrophin releasing hormone (TRH) and KCl after prior exposure to TRH. Anterior pituitary fragments were incubated in normal medium or in medium containing 28 nmol TRH/1 for 20 h before perifusion. Thyrotrophin releasing hormone (28 nmol/l), administered as a 3-min pulse, stimulated TSH and prolactin release from control tissue to a peak value four or five times that of basal. After exposure of the pituitary tissue to TRH for 20 h, the subsequent response of TSH to a 3-min pulse of TRH was, however, markedly reduced; in contrast, the prolactin response was not significantly reduced. In a similar series of experiments KCl (60 nmol/l) was administered to both control and TRH-'treated' pituitary tissue as a 3-min pulse; no significant differences in TSH responses or prolactin responses were observed. These data indicate that TRH desensitizes the pituitary thyrotroph to a subsequent TRH stimulus but has very little effect on prolactin secretion. J. Endocr. (1984) 101, 101–105


1984 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. R. Hall ◽  
A. Chadwick

ABSTRACT Anterior pituitary glands from broiler fowl were incubated by themselves, with hypothalamic tissue or with thyrotrophin releasing hormone (TRH) in medium containing dopamine and its antagonist pimozide. The presence of hypothalamic tissue or TRH resulted in a stimulation of release of prolactin. Neither dopamine nor pimozide affected prolactin release directly from the pituitary gland. Dopamine inhibited the release of prolactin stimulated by hypothalamic tissue or TRH, in a concentration-dependent fashion. Pimozide diminished the response to dopamine. After pituitary glands were preincubated for 20 h in medium containing oestradiol-17β, the basal release of prolactin was enhanced as was the response to TRH. Both basal and TRH-stimulated release of prolactin from the oestrogen-primed pituitary glands was inhibited by dopamine, an effect blocked by pimozide. Hypothalami from broiler fowl were incubated for up to 8 h in medium containing dopaminergic drugs and pituitary glands were incubated in this medium, alone or with pimozide. As indicated by the prolactin released by the pituitary glands, the hypothalami appeared to secrete prolactin-releasing activity in a time-related fashion. Dopaminergic activity was also present in the hypothalami, since pimozide enhanced the prolactin-releasing activity of the medium. Dopamine apparently inhibited and pimozide stimulated the secretion of releasing activity from the hypothalamus. These results suggest that dopamine inhibits release of prolactin directly from the pituitary gland only when prolactin secretion is high. The hypothalamus secretes at least two factors regulating prolactin secretion, a prolactin-releasing factor and a dopaminergic prolactin-inhibiting factor. Dopamine may also play an inhibitory role in the regulation of secretion of the prolactin-releasing factor. J. Endocr. (1984) 103, 63–69


1985 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. R. Hall ◽  
S. Harvey ◽  
A. Chadwick

ABSTRACT Fowl anterior pituitary glands were bisected and each half was pretreated in either Medium 199 or medium containing EGTA to deplete endogenous calcium (Ca2+) stores, after which they were incubated in Medium 199, or Ca2+-free medium, containing prolactin release-stimulating agents and verapamil, a Ca2+ channel blocker. High K+ concentrations, hypothalamic extract, synthetic thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH) and dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dbcAMP) all stimulated release of prolactin from control (non EGTA-treated) hemianterior pituitary glands. The effects of TRH and dbcAMP were not additive, but the response to submaximal concentrations of TRH was augmented by theophylline, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. Reduction of Ca2+ availability with EGTA or verapamil reduced basal release of prolactin, prevented the prolactin-stimulating effects of high K+ concentrations and TRH, and markedly attenuated responses to hypothalamic extract and dbcAMP, EGTA being more effective than verapamil. Increasing the Ca2+ concentration of the medium did not augment basal or stimulated release of prolactin. These results suggest that both Ca2+ and cyclic AMP may act as intracellular mediators in the release of prolactin. Both basal and stimulated release of prolactin depend upon the presence of Ca2+. Although influx from the medium may be the major source of Ca2+, endogenous stores of Ca2+, perhaps mobilized by dbcAMP, may be able to maintain some release of prolactin. The prolactin-stimulating effects of TRH may be mediated by cyclic AMP. J. Endocr. (1985) 105, 183–188


1984 ◽  
Vol 106 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kunio Shiota ◽  
Keiji Yoshida ◽  
Chieko Noguchi ◽  
Ryo Nakayama

Abstract. Using dispersed and primarily cultured cells of rat pituitary glands, thyrotrophin (TSH) release by TSH-releasing hormone (TRH) and an analogue, γ - butyrolactone - γ-carbonyl - l - histidyl - l - prolinamide (DN-1417) which is more potent than TRH on central nervous system behavioural paradigms, was examined under conditions of static incubation and superfusion. Static incubations of the cells with different concentrations of DN-1417 (10−7–10−4 m) and TRH (10−10–10−6 m) resulted in a dose-related increase of TSH release and the response to both peptides, in logarithmic doses, was in parallel. The potency of DN-1417 related to TSH release was 0.14–0.26% that of TRH. Maximal TSH release induced by DN-1417 (10−5 m) was slightly but significantly greater than that by TRH (10−7 m) In the presence of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, the TSH response to either of the peptides was augmented, and the difference in the maximal TSH release by either peptide became insignificant, suggesting that TRH as well as DN-1417 act through the same mechanism of mediation by the cyclic nucleotides. In the superfusion study, a biphasic profile of TSH release was observed during a continuous exposure (100 min) to maximal doses of either the analogue or TRH. The biphasic release of TSH was thought to be specific to TRH action because high K+ produced a different profile of the release. These results indicate that the potency of DN-1417 in TSH release is considerably lower than that of TRH, and also suggest that the direct action of DN-1417 on TSH release is qualitatively similar to that of TRH.


1976 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. WHITE ◽  
S. L. JEFFCOATE ◽  
E. C. GRIFFITHS ◽  
K. C. HOOPER

SUMMARY The TRH-degrading activity of rat serum in vitro is five times more potent than that of human serum. In rats, it is significantly reduced in hypothyroidism (thiouracil-induced) and significantly increased in hyperthyroidism (T3 or T4-induced). This suggests a possible role in the regulation of adenohypophysial-thyroid function which is probably, in turn, dependent on thyroid hormone, rather than TSH, levels.


1989 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 321-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Levy ◽  
David J. A. Eckland ◽  
Alison M. Gurney ◽  
Jean-Claude Reubi ◽  
Rasikbala Doshi ◽  
...  

1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noboru Fujihara ◽  
Masataka Shiino

The effect of thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH, 10−7 M) on luteinizing hormone (LH) release from rat anterior pituitary cells was examined using organ and primary cell culture. The addition of TRH to the culture medium resulted in a slightly enhanced release of LH from the cultured pituitary tissues. However, the amount of LH release stimulated by TRH was not greater than that produced by luteinizing hormone – releasing hormone (LH–RH, 10−7 M). Actinomycin D (2 × 10−5 M) and cycloheximide (10−4 M) had an inhibitory effect on the action of TRH on LH release. The inability of TRH to elicit gonadotrophin release from the anterior pituitary glands in vivo may partly be due to physiological inhibition of its action by other hypothalamic factor(s).


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