Prolactin

About: Prolactin is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 22356 publications have been published within this topic receiving 609537 citations. The topic is also known as: lactotropin, & PRL,.

The Novel Somatostatin Analog SOM230 Is a Potent Inhibitor of Hormone Release by Growth Hormone- and Prolactin-Secreting Pituitary Adenomas in Vitro

Abstract: To determine the inhibitory profile of the novel somatostatin (SRIF) analog SOM230 with broad SRIF receptor binding, we compared the in vitro effects of SOM230, octreotide (OCT), and SRIF-14 on hormone release by cultures of different types of secreting pituitary adenomas. OCT (10 nM) significantly inhibited GH release in seven of nine GH-secreting pituitary adenoma cultures (range, -26 to -73%), SOM230 (10 nM) in eight of nine cultures (range, -22 to -68%), and SRIF-14 (10 nM) in six of six cultures (range, -30 to -75%). The sst analysis showed predominant but variable levels of somatostatin receptor (sst)(2) and sst(5) mRNA expression. In one culture completely resistant to OCT, SOM230 and SRIF-14 significantly inhibited GH release in a dose-dependent manner with an IC(50) value in the low nanomolar range. In the other cultures, SOM230 showed a lower potency of GH release inhibition (IC(50), 0.5 nM), compared with OCT (IC(50), 0.02 nM) and SRIF-14 (IC(50), 0.02 nM). A positive correlation was found between sst(2) but not sst(5) mRNA levels in the adenoma cells and the inhibitory potency of OCT on GH release in vivo and in vitro, and the effects of SOM230 and SRIF-14 in vitro. In three prolactinoma cultures, 10 nM OCT weakly inhibited prolactin (PRL) release in only one (-28%), whereas 10 nM SOM230 significantly inhibited PRL release in three of three cultures (-23, -51, and -64.0%). The inhibition of PRL release by SOM230 was related to the expression level of sst(5) but not sst(2) mRNA. Several conclusions were reached. First, SOM230 has a broad profile of inhibition of tumoral pituitary hormone release in the low nanomolar range, probably mediated via both sst(2) and sst(5) receptors. The higher number of responders of GH-secreting pituitary adenoma cultures to SOM230, compared with OCT, suggest that SOM230 has the potency to increase the number of acromegalic patients which can be biochemically controlled. Second, compared with OCT, SOM230 is more potent in inhibiting PRL release by mixed GH/PRL-secreting adenoma and prolactinoma cells.

New insights in prolactin: pathological implications.

Abstract: Prolactin is a hormone that is mainly secreted by lactotroph cells of the anterior pituitary gland, and is involved in many biological processes including lactation and reproduction. Animal models have provided insights into the biology of prolactin proteins and offer compelling evidence that the different prolactin isoforms each have independent biological functions. The major isoform, 23 kDa prolactin, acts via its membrane receptor, the prolactin receptor (PRL-R), which is a member of the haematopoietic cytokine superfamily and for which the mechanism of activation has been deciphered. The 16 kDa prolactin isoform is a cleavage product derived from native prolactin, which has received particular attention as a result of its newly described inhibitory effects on angiogenesis and tumorigenesis. The discovery of multiple extrapituitary sites of prolactin secretion also increases the range of known functions of this hormone. This Review summarizes current knowledge of the biology of prolactin and its receptor, as well as its physiological and pathological roles. We focus on the role of prolactin in human pathophysiology, particularly the discovery of the mechanism underlying infertility associated with hyperprolactinaemia and the identification of the first mutation in human PRLR.

Effects of acute stress on serum LH and prolactin in intact, castrate and dexamethasone-treated male rats.

Abstract: The effects of handling, ether vapor anesthesia and blood sampling on serum LH and prolactin were determined in intact, castrate and dexamethasone-treated male rats Cage removal and transport to an adjacent room increased LH and prolactin levels by 10 and 15 min after the initial animal disturbance Intact male rats subjected to repeated ether anesthesia and blood sampling showed a more rapid increase in serum LH and prolactin than the preceding rats, since serum LH and prolactin was increased by 4, 8 and 15 min after initial cage disturbance In a group of rats subjected to serial blood sampling over a longer time interval, both prolactin and LH levels remained higher than 90 min after initial animal handling At 90 minutes after a single blood sampling, blood prolactin concentration remained higher than in controls Serum LH levels returned to control levels 90 min after the stress of a single blood sampling Although serum prolactin was increased in the castrate group subjected to serial anesthesia and blood sampling, LH concentrations were reduced under the same conditions Injection of 5 and 50 mug of dexamethasone/100 g body wt for 8 days markedly reduced adrenocortical responsiveness to the stress of serial anesthesia and blood sampling at 1, 4, 8 and 15 min after initial rat disturbance The 50 mug dexamethasone treatment reduced the stress-stimulated increase in serum prolactin at all blood sampling intervals The dexamethasone-treated groups also showed smaller increases in serum LH at 8 and 15 min after first animal handling than the control rats These results indicate that serum LH and prolactin concentrations are consistently increased by acute stress in intact male rats, the duration of the stress stimulation of LH and prolactin is at least 90 min under the conditions of this study, serum LH levels of castrate male rats are decreased by acute stress and dexamethasone administration lowers stress stimulation of LH and prolactin release

Effects of castration and gonadal steroids on serum luteinizing hormone and prolactin in old and young rats

Abstract: Changes in serum LH and prolactin concentrations in response to bilateral gonadectomy and gonadal steroid replacement were measured in mature young (4-6 months) and old (23-30 months) female and male Long-Evans rats. On day 13 after gonadectomy, female rats were injected with oestradiol benzoate (OB) and male rats with testosterone propionate (TP) for a period of 12 days. They were then permitted a recovery period of 6 weeks. Serum prolactin and LH concentrations were measured by radioimmunassay in single blood samples taken at various intervals before and after gonadectomy and during and after steroid treatment. Serum LH levels were about the same in intact young old female rats, but after ovariectomy LH rose several fold higher in young than in old remale rats. In male rats, after orchidetomy the increase in serum LH was greater in young than in old rats. Oestradiol benzoate and TP injections into female and male young and old rats produced variable effects on LH release. Serum prolactin concentrations were approximately six times higher in old intact than in young intact female rats, and after ovariectomy showed a much greater percentage reduction in old than in young female rats. Administration OB produced a greater absolute increase in serum prolactin in old than in young female rats. Serum prolactin values were about the same in old and young male rats, and the effects of castration and TP administration on serum prolactin were not markedly different in the two age groups. These results indicate that old female and male rats are less capable of releasing LH than young rats of both sexes, but old females release more prolactin than young females.