Metabolism - Clinical and Experimental
Volume 47, Issue 8 , Pages 897-899, August 1998

Involvement of nitric oxide in vasoactive intestinal peptide-stimulated prolactin secretion in normal men☆

  • P. Chiodera

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress reprint requests to Paolo Chiodera, MD, Cattedra di Endocrinologia, Università di Parma, Via Gramsci 14, Parma, Italy.
    • ,
  • R. Volpi
    • ,
  • V. Coiro

Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Parma, Parma, Italy

Received 4 December 1997; accepted 19 February 1998.

Abstract 

To establish whether nitric-oxide (NO) participates in the regulation of prolactin (PRL) secretion in humans in basal conditions and/or under stimulation with vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), seven normal men were treated with a placebo (normal saline) or the NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor L-NAME (40 μg/kg injected plus 50 μg/kg infused intravenously over 60 minutes), which in previous studies has been found able to modify other pituitary hormone secretions. Experiments were performed either in basal conditions or during stimulation of PRL secretion with an intravenous infusion of VIP (4 pmol/kg min over 60 minutes). The administration of L-NAME was unable to change the basal secretion of PRL. In contrast, L-NAME significantly enhanced the PRL increase induced by VIP. These data argue against an involvement of NO in regulation of basal PRL secretion. In contrast, the stimulatory effect of L-NAME on VIP-induced PRL secretion suggests that NO exerts an inhibitory control of the PRL response to VIP.

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☆ Supported in part by a grant from M.U.R.S.T. (Rome, Italy).

PII: S0026-0495(98)90340-7

Metabolism - Clinical and Experimental
Volume 47, Issue 8 , Pages 897-899, August 1998

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