Evidence for an inhibitory effect of the peptide galanin on dopamine release from the rat median eminence.

The role of the neuropeptide galanin (GAL) in rat hypothalamus has been studied in different experimental models. Thus, the effect of GAL on potassium-induced dopamine release was analyzed in vitro, and the localization of GAL and GAL binding sites was studied with immunohistochemistry and receptor autoradiography, respectively. In the median eminence GAL and presumably dopamine were found to coexist in nerve endings and this area contained a high density of 125I-GAL binding sites. In vitro experiments revealed that GAL inhibited the release of [3H]dopamine in a dose-dependent manner (IC50 = 7-10 nM), possibly via a presynaptic receptor.