GRF increases release of growth hormone and arachidonate from anterior pituitary cells

Arachidonate and its metabolites increase growth hormone release in vitro. A study was designed to determine whether arachidonate release from anterior pituitary cells is modified by growth hormone-releasing factor (GRF) or somatostatin (SRIF). Cultured pituitary cells were incubated with [3H]arachidonate to esterify the long-chain fatty acid into cellular lipids. The cells were extensively washed with medium containing no [3H]arachidonate and then incubated with GRF and/or SRIF for 30 min. The incubation medium was then extracted with ethyl acetate, and following thin-layer chromatographic separation, the radioactivity in the [3H]arachidonate band was measured. GRF in a concentration-dependent manner (1-30 nM) stimulated growth hormone and arachidonate release, whereas SRIF (100 nM) blocked the GRF-induced increase of growth hormone and arachidonate release. The effects of GRF on growth hormone and arachidonate were evident at time intervals as brief as 5 min. These findings support the hypothesis that arachidonate may play a role in the GRF-induced growth hormone release.