Abstract
Summary
The effects of the suckling stimulus upon release and subsequent repletion of anterior pituitary (AP) lactogen were investigated in hooded Norway rats on the third or fourth day of lactation. Two hr of suckling resulted in an 88.5% reduction in lactogen content. The AP lactogen content gradually increased during the postsuckling interval with restoration to presuckling levels after 8 hr. To determine whether lactogen repletion would occur in vitro, AP were obtained from rats immediately following 2 hr of suckling, and cultured for 2 hr. In contrast to the results obtained in vivo, lactogen repletion did not occur in vitro.
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