Abstract
Summary
Comparisons were made of pituitary prolactin content, pituitary prolactin release in vitro and hypothalamic PIF content at different stages of the estrous cycle of the rat. The anterior pituitaries of proestrous and estrous rats contained significantly more prolactin than anterior pituitaries of diestrous rats; the former released significantly more prolactin when incubated in vitro than the latter, and proestrous and estrous rats had significantly less PIF in the hypothalamus than diestrous rats. Ovarian estrogen secreted during proestrus and estrus is believed to increase prolactin release by depressing hypothalamic PIF production and by directly stimulating the pituitary.
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