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. 1993 Dec 1;90(23):11292–11296. doi: 10.1073/pnas.90.23.11292

Nitric oxide synthase in the rat anterior pituitary gland and the role of nitric oxide in regulation of luteinizing hormone secretion.

S Ceccatelli 1, A L Hulting 1, X Zhang 1, L Gustafsson 1, M Villar 1, T Hökfelt 1
PMCID: PMC47968  PMID: 7504302

Abstract

By using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, we have demonstrated that the nitric oxide (NO)-synthesizing enzyme NO synthase is present in gonadotrophs and in folliculo-stellate cells of the anterior pituitary gland of male and female rats. A marked increase in levels of NO synthase protein and mRNA was observed after gonadectomy. In vitro studies on dispersed anterior pituitary cells suggest that NO inhibits gonadotropin-releasing-hormone-stimulated luteinizing hormone release. An inhibitory effect of NO has also been shown on growth-hormone-releasing-hormone-stimulated release of growth hormone [Kato, M. (1992) Endocrinology 131, 2133-2138]. Thus these findings support a dual mechanism for NO in the control of anterior pituitary hormone secretion, an autocrine mediation of luteinizing hormone release on gonadotrophs, and a paracrine effect on growth hormone secretion involving folliculo-stellate cells closely related to somatotrophs. We speculate that NO may participate in producing the pulsatile secretion patterns of these two pituitary hormones.

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Selected References

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