1991 Volume 38 Issue 4 Pages 357-361
The effects of human recombinant interleukin-1β and -6 and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) on the releases of PRL and dopamine were examined using monolayer cultures of rat pituitary cells and hypothalamic cells. The release of PRL from rat pituitary cells in 30 min was increased about 2-fold (p<0.05) by 105 U/l interleukin-1β, 105 U/l interleukin-6 or 100μg/l TNF-α. TNF-α at 100μg/l significantly increased PRL release within 5 min incubation and this effect continued throughout the next 30 min of incubation. Incubation for 5 min with TNF-α caused dose-dependent stimulation of PRL release. These cytokines did not modulate [3H]-dopamine release from primary cultures of hypothalamic cells. These results suggest that these cytokines stimulate PRL release directly at the pituitary gland, without modifying the release of dopamine from the hypothalamus.
