Growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (Prl) secretion by a normal human pituitary in dispersed cell culture has been investigated. Prl secretion was significantly stimulated after 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 h exposure to 1, 10, 100 and 1000 ng/ml thyrotrophin releasing hormone (TRH). Maximal effects were obtained with 10 ng/ml TRH at 2 h, higher doses being less effective. GH secretion was unchanged with the exception that 1 ng/ml TRH produced a small decrease at 4 h. GH and Prl secretion was significantly inhibited by incubation with 0.01, 0.1, 1 or 10 micrograms/ml 2-bromo-alpha-ergocryptine (bromocriptine). The inhibition persisted for a further 24 h after removal of bromocriptine. Theophylline (10(-2) M) significantly increased GH and Prl secretion during a 4 h incubation and this effect was blocked by co-incubation with 10 ng/ml somatostatin (SRIF). SRIF also inhibited basal GH and Prl secretion during 4 h and removal of SRIF and incubation for at further 4 h led to a rebound in GH and Prl secretion to levels greater than control. It is concluded that cell culture techniques previously applied to the study of hormone secretion by pituitary adenomas can be equally applied to the normal human pituitary.
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Adams et al. (1981) studied this question.