Nicotine-induced increases in brain luteinizing hormone releasing hormone-like immunoreactivity and in serum luteinizing hormone levels of the male rat.
By means of radioimmunoassay procedures luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH)-, Metenkephalin- and somatostatin-like immunoreactivities have been measured in discrete hypothalamic and preoptic nuclei as well as serum luteinizing hormone (LH) levels. Nicotine (2 mg/kg, i.p.) produced after 5 min a significant and selective increase in LHRH-like immunoreactivity in the median eminence and in the medial preoptic nucleus, associated with increases in serum LH levels but without any changes in Met-enkephalin and somatostatin-like immunoreactivities in the median eminence. The results indicate that the nicotine-induced activation of LHRH-immunoreactive neurons involves an enhanced processing of the precursor peptide to LHRH.
D000818:Animals; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine / Q000032:analysis; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000032:analysis*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000032:analysis*; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D010455:Peptides; C029993:somatostatin-like peptides; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine; D009538:Nicotine; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone