Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1978 Jan;75(1):531–534. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.1.531

Melatonin secretion decreases during the proestrous stage of the rat estrous cycle.

Y Ozaki, R J Wurtman, R Alonso, H J Lynch
PMCID: PMC411285  PMID: 272672

Abstract

Urine was collected from rats during 12 consecutive daily dark periods and assayed for melatonin and norepinephrine; the phase of the vaginal estrous cycle associated with each urine sample was determined from daily vaginal smears. The proestrous phase of the estrous cycle was consistently associated with significant reductions in the excretions of both compounds. The level of melatonin in any urine sample tended to vary as a function of its norepinephrine content; however, the slope of the curve relating these two compounds in metestrous-diestrous samples differed from that for proestrous-estrous specimens. This difference suggests that factors other than the catecholamine (e.g., gonadal hormones) also affect melatonin secretion. Oophorectomy elevated the melatonin concentration of serum but not that of the pineal; this rise was suppressed by the administration of estrogen plus progesterone. The fate of circulating melatonin (as indicated by the proportion of an exogenous dose excreted into the urine) was not affected by the state of the estrous cycle.

Full text

PDF
531

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ANTON A. H., SAYRE D. F. A study of the factors affecting the aluminum oxide-trihydroxyindole procedure for the analysis of catecholamines. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1962 Dec;138:360–375. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. AXELROD J., WEISSBACH H. Enzymatic O-methylation of N-acetylserotonin to melatonin. Science. 1960 Apr 29;131(3409):1312–1312. doi: 10.1126/science.131.3409.1312. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. AXELROD J., WURTMAN R. J., SNYDER S. H. CONTROL OF HYDROXYINDOLE O-METHYLTRANSFERASE ACTIVITY IN THE RAT PINEAL GLAND BY ENVIRONMENTAL LIGHTING. J Biol Chem. 1965 Feb;240:949–954. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Arendt J., Paunier L., Sizonenko P. C. Melatonin radioimmunoassay. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1975 Feb;40(2):347–350. doi: 10.1210/jcem-40-2-347. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Green R. D., 3rd, Miller J. W. Catecholamine Concentrations: Changes in Plasma of Rats during Estrous Cycle and Pregnancy. Science. 1966 Feb 18;151(3712):825–826. doi: 10.1126/science.151.3712.825. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hedlund L., Lischko M. M., Rollag M. D., Niswender G. D. Melatonin: daily cycle in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid of calves. Science. 1977 Feb 18;195(4279):686–687. doi: 10.1126/science.841305. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. KOPIN I. J., PARE C. M., AXELROD J., WEISSBACH H. The fate of melatonin in animals. J Biol Chem. 1961 Nov;236:3072–3075. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kamberi I. A., Mical R. S., Porter J. C. Effect of anterior pituitary perfusion and intraventricular injection of catecholamines and indoleamines on LH release. Endocrinology. 1970 Jul;87(1):1–12. doi: 10.1210/endo-87-1-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Klein D. C., Weller J. L. Indole metabolism in the pineal gland: a circadian rhythm in N-acetyltransferase. Science. 1970 Sep 11;169(3950):1093–1095. doi: 10.1126/science.169.3950.1093. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Levine L., Riceberg L. J. Radioimmunoassay for melatonin. Res Commun Chem Pathol Pharmacol. 1975 Apr;10(4):693–702. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Lynch H. J. Diurnal oscillations in pineal melatonin content. Life Sci I. 1971 Jul 15;10(14):791–795. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(71)90033-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lynch H. J., Wurtman R. J., Moskowitz M. A., Archer M. C., Ho M. H. Daily rhythm in human urinary melatonin. Science. 1975 Jan 17;187(4172):169–171. doi: 10.1126/science.1167425. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Minneman K. P., Wurtman R. J. The pharmacology of the pineal gland. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol. 1976;16:33–51. doi: 10.1146/annurev.pa.16.040176.000341. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Nagle C. A., Rosner J. M. Plasma norepinephrine during the rat estrous cycle and after progesterone treatment to the ovariectomized estrogen-primed rat. Neuroendocrinology. 1976;22(1):89–96. doi: 10.1159/000122614. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Ozaki Y., Lynch H. J., Wurtman R. J. Melatonin in rat pineal, plasma, and urine: 24-hour rhythmicity and effect of chlorpromazine. Endocrinology. 1976 Jun;98(6):1418–1424. doi: 10.1210/endo-98-6-1418. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Ralph C. L., Lynch H. J. A quantitative melatonin bioassay. Gen Comp Endocrinol. 1970 Oct;15(2):334–338. doi: 10.1016/0016-6480(70)90083-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rollag M. D., Niswender G. D. Radioimmunoassay of serum concentrations of melatonin in sheep exposed to different lighting regimens. Endocrinology. 1976 Feb;98(2):482–489. doi: 10.1210/endo-98-2-482. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. WEISSBACH H., REDFIELD B. G., AXELROD J. Biosynthesis of melatonin: enzymic conversion of serotonin to N-acetylserotonin. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1960 Sep 23;43:352–353. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(60)90453-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. WURTMAN R. J., AXELROD J., CHU E. W. Melatonin, a pineal substance: effect on the rat ovary. Science. 1963 Jul 19;141(3577):277–278. doi: 10.1126/science.141.3577.277. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. WURTMAN R. J., AXELROD J., FISCHER J. E. MELATONIN SYNTHESIS IN THE PINEAL GLAND: EFFECT OF LIGHT MEDIATED BY THE SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM. Science. 1964 Mar 20;143(3612):1328–1330. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. WURTMAN R. J., AXELROD J., SNYDER S. H., CHU E. W. CHANGES IN THE ENZYMATIC SYNTHESIS OF METABOLISM IN THE PINEAL DURING THE ESTROUS CYCLE. Endocrinology. 1965 Apr;76:798–800. doi: 10.1210/endo-76-4-798. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Wallen E. P., Yochim J. M. Pineal HIOMT activity in the rat: effect of ovariectomy and hormone replacement. Biol Reprod. 1974 May;10(4):474–479. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod10.4.474. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Weiss B., Crayton J. Gonadal hormones as regulators of pineal adenyl cyclase activity. Endocrinology. 1970 Sep;87(3):527–533. doi: 10.1210/endo-87-3-527. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Wurtman R. J., Larin F., Axelrod J., Shein H. M., Rosasco K. Formation of melatonin and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid from 14C-tryptophan by rat pineal glands in organ culture. Nature. 1968 Mar 9;217(5132):953–954. doi: 10.1038/217953a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Ying S. Y., Greep R. O. Inhibition of ovulation by melatonin in the cyclic rat. Endocrinology. 1973 Jan;92(1):333–335. doi: 10.1210/endo-92-1-333. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. von EULER U., LISHAJKO F. Improved technique for the fluorimetric estimation of catecholamines. Acta Physiol Scand. 1961 Apr;51:348–355. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1961.tb02128.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES