Vasopressin release from the rat hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system: effects of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH), its analogues and melatonin.

The influence of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and its analogues (i.e., agonist and antagonist) on vasopressin (VP) release from the rat hypothalamo-neurohypophysial (H-N) system was studied both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, it was determined whether the possible response of vasopressinergic neurones to these peptides could be modified by melatonin through a cAMP-dependent mechanism. In this study we demonstrate, for the first time, that the highly selective GnRH agonist (i.e., [Des-Gly(10),D-His(Bzl)(6),Pro-NHEt(9)]-LHRH; histrelin) stimulates the release of VP from the rat H-N system, while native GnRH and its antagonist remain inactive in modifying this process in vitro. Melatonin significantly inhibited basal and histrelin-induced release of VP in vitro, but displayed no significant influence on VP secretion when GnRH or its antagonist were present in a medium. Melatonin fully suppressed forskolin-stimulated VP release from the rat H-N system. On the other hand, addition of forskolin to a medium containing both histrelin and melatonin did not further alter the inhibitory influence of melatonin on the histrelin-dependent release of VP in vitro. After intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusion of native GnRH or its agonist, blood plasma VP concentration was significantly higher than in control animals, which was accompanied by decreased content of the hormone in the neurohypophysis. Intravenous (i.v.) injection of melatonin did not change, in any subgroup, blood plasma VP concentration, when compared to the vehicle-injected rats. However, the neurohypophysial levels of the hormone were significantly higher after melatonin injection in control, GnRH- and histrelin-infused animals. Our present results suggest that activation of the GnRH receptor in the hypothalamus is involved in stimulation of VP secretion from the rat H-N system. We have also shown that melatonin, at a concentration close to its physiological level in the blood, significantly reduces the in vitro response of vasopressinergic neurones to a GnRH agonist - histrelin; this effect of melatonin could be mediated through intracellular processes that involve, among others, the cAMP-dependent mechanism.