Endocrinology, Vol 118, 2470-2476, Copyright © 1986 by Endocrine Society

ARTICLES

Renin in the rat pituitary coexists with angiotensin II and depends on testosterone

K Naruse, M Naruse, K Obana, R Demura, H Demura, T Inagami and K Shizume

In the rat pituitary gland, immunoreactive angiotensin II (ANG II), renin, and LH, but not PRL, were found within the same cells of the anterior pituitary gland by staining with the avidin-biotin complex method in adjacent sections. No renin-positive staining was observed in the pituitary of the rats after 10 days of castration, but positive staining reappeared after 8 weeks. This effect of castration on renin immunoreactivity was abolished by the simultaneous administration of testosterone. In contrast, ANG II immunoreactivity was unaffected by castration. The intensity of renin immunoreactivity in the pituitary was less prominent in the female than in the male rat. These results suggest that there exists a pituitary renin-angiotensin system localized in the gonadotrophs and that the pituitary renin is under androgenic control.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. Vila–Porcile and P. Corvol Angiotensinogen, Prorenin, and Renin Are Co-localized in the Secretory Granules of All Glandular Cells of the Rat Anterior Pituitary: An Immunoultrastructural Study J. Histochem. Cytochem., March 1, 1998; 46(3): 301 - 312. [Abstract] [Full Text]