Variability in neurosecretory material and responses to reserpine of the pituitary neural lobe in five strains of rat.
The levels of vasopressin and neurophysin in the neural lobe of the pituitary were measured in five strains of rat: Wistar, Sprague-Dawley, PVG, Chester Beatty and DA strains. The effect of reserpine administration (5 mg/kg body weight) was determined. There were significant differences in the weight of the neural lobe and the vasopressin and neurophysin contents of this tissue in the various strains. It was possible to show that weight of the neural lobe was not necessarily related to hormone content. The effects of reserpine also varied within the species for, while there was a fall in the vasopressin content in the Wistar and Chester Beatty strains, no change was observed in the Sprague-Dawley, PVG and DA strains. The fall in the vasopressin level in the Wistar animals was not accompanied by a simultaneous fall in the vasopressin-neurophysin content.
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009481:Neurophysins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D012110:Reserpine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000378:metabolism*
D009481:Neurophysins; D014667:Vasopressins; D012110:Reserpine