Endocrinology, Vol 99, 914-917, Copyright © 1976 by Endocrine Society

ARTICLES

Supersensitivity of anterior pituitary dopamine receptors involved in the inhibition of prolactin secretion following destruction of the medial basal hypothalamus

CY Cheung and RI Weiner

The medial basal hypothalamus of ovariectomized rats was destroyed using a modified Halasz knife. Large increases in prolactin secretion were observed 1 and 14 days following the lesions. Long- and short-term lesioned animals were anesthetized with chloral hydrate and treated with various doses of apomorphine (0.05, 0.2, 2, 5 mg/kg). Blood samples were obtained before and 10, 30 and 60 minutes after the injection. Both the 0.05 and 0.2 mg/kg doses caused significantly greater and longer-lasting inhibition of prolactin in long-term than in short-term lesioned animals. Since the MBH was totally destroyed this study suggests that anterior pituitary dopamine receptors involved in the inhibition of prolactin secretion become supersensitive in long- term lesioned rats.

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