The effect of sulpiride, a neuroleptic agent, on the secretion of prolactin by the anterior pituitary gland of the rat was studied. A significant increase in serum prolactin was observed after subcutaneous administration of the drug. Although sulpiride (0·10μmol/l or 0·14 mmol/l) had no effect on the secretion of newly synthesized or radioimmunoassayable prolactin in vitro, the drug significantly overcame the inhibitory action that dopamine (0·50 μmol/l) exerted on prolactin secretion. Rats implanted with a prolactin-secreting pituitary tumour MtTW15 showed an inhibition of prolactin biosynthesis and release. Injection of these rats with sulpiride restored prolactin biosynthesis and release of the hormone toward normal levels. These results demonstrate that sulpiride has a direct effect on the pituitary antagonizing the inhibitory effects exerted by dopaminergic mechanisms, although the drug itself does not stimulate the secretion of prolactin in vitro. Sulpiride may have a direct action on the pituitary lactotrophs in vivo, but effects at higher centres have not been excluded.
Journal of Endocrinology is committed to supporting researchers in demonstrating the impact of their articles published in the journal.
The two types of article metrics we measure are (i) more traditional full-text views and pdf downloads, and (ii) Altmetric data, which shows the wider impact of articles in a range of non-traditional sources, such as social media.
More information is on the Reasons to publish page.
| Sept 2018 onwards | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Text Views | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| PDF Downloads | 9 | 3 | 0 |
Online ISSN: 1479-6805
Print ISSN: 0022-0795
Strengthening biomedical communities
to advance science and health
CONTACT US
Bioscientifica Ltd | Starling House | 1600 Bristol Parkway North | Bristol BS34 8YU | UK
Bioscientifica Ltd | Registered in England no 3190519
