Dendrotoxin and 4-aminopyridine potentiate neurohypophysial hormone secretion during low frequency electrical stimulation.

The K+ channel blockers dendrotoxin (10(-9) M) and 4-aminopyridine (10(-6) M) produce similar patterns of augmentation of electrically evoked vasopressin and oxytocin secretion from isolated rat neurointermediate lobes. Both channel blockers produced a greater than two-fold increase in vasopressin release. Oxytocin release, however, was comparably increased only when endogenous opioid inhibition was abolished by the presence of naloxone. The potentiation of hormone release was dependent on the frequency of the applied stimulus. A large effect was seen with 1000 pulses at 4 Hz but not when the same number of pulses was delivered at 12 Hz. These findings suggest that a specific type of K+-channel, sensitive to dendrotoxin and low micromolar 4-aminopyridine, may play a significant role in the frequency-dependent facilitation of secretion from neurohypophysial nerve endings.