title: Plasma and pituitary thyroid-stimulating hormone and their responses to bromocriptine in the Japanese strains of hypertensive and normotensive rats and the F2 generation of the hybrid.
abstract: Plasma thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration and pituitary TSH content were examined in bromocriptine (BRC)- and vehicle-treated male Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR), its normotensive control, the Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rat and the F2 generation of the SHR/WKY hybrid. The hybrid rats were divided into three groups according to their systolic blood pressures (BP) as follows--group I: BP less than 140 mmHg; group II: BP = 140-160 mmHg and group III: BP greater than 160 mmHg. Plasma TSH concentrations were not significantly different between the vehicle-treated SHR and WKY nor between the three groups of vehicle-treated hybrid rats. The pituitary TSH content was significantly higher in the vehicle-treated SHR than in the vehicle-treated WKY while it was not significantly different between the three groups of vehicle-treated hybrid rats. Plasma TSH concentrations in the BRC-treated SHR, WKY and three groups of hybrid rats were significantly lower than the concentrations in the corresponding vehicle-treated rats. Pituitary TSH content were significantly lower in the BRC-treated SHR, group I and group III rats but not in the BRC-treated WKY and group II rats when compared to their respective vehicle-treated controls. The results of this study suggest that TSH is not involved in the maintenance of systolic BP in the SHR, WKY and hybrid rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge Crescent.
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hutchinson
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001971:Bromocriptine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic; D008297:Male; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains / Q000378:metabolism*; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001971:Bromocriptine; D013972:Thyrotropin