title: Hypothalamic and suprachiasmatic uptake of serotonin in vitro: twenty-four-hour changes in male and proestrous female rats.
abstract: Twenty-four-hour changes in the in vitro serotonin (5-HT) uptake capacity of hypothalamic homogenates and of "Vibratome" slices of the suprachiasmatic nuclear region (SNR) of the hypothalamus were studied in 60-90-day-old Holtzman (albino) rats. Animals acclimated to artificially illuminated (fluorescent, LD 12:12) and temperature controlled (22 +/- 2 C) rooms were killed 6% each of 8 time points. Synaptosomal fractions from homogenates of whole hypothalamus, and slices of the SNR were incubated for 20 min in Krebs-Henseleit buffer with [3H]5-HT. Males showed a single daily peak in SNR uptake at the start of darkness, and a minimum near the onset of light, while a more complex pattern containing 3 peaks and minima occurred in uptake by hypothalamic homogenates. Proestrous females showed a single high amplitude peak SNR uptake during the critical period, just prior to the plasma LH peak determined in the same animals by radioimmunoassay. It is suggested that this short-term and 4-fold increase in SNR uptake of 5-HT may serve to limit free 5-HT and its inhibitory or other effects on the gonadotropin release hormone system and thereby on LH release and ovulation.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D004971:Estrus; D005260:Female; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009897:Optic Chiasm; D010060:Ovulation; D011247:Pregnancy; D011359:Proestrus; D051381:Rats; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012701:Serotonin; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone