Identification of neurohypophysial peptides in the ovaries of several mammalian and nonmammalian species.

Ovarian tissue from a variety of mammalian and nonmammalian species were extracted in acid. All extracts contained both oxytocin- and vasopressin-like immunoreactivites as determined by radioimmunoassay. Analysis by high performance liquid chromatography revealed the presence of oxytocin in all ovarian extracts examined. This was in contrast to the corresponding posterior pituitary gland which other workers have shown do not necessarily contain the oxytocin peptide. It is suggested that oxytocin may play an important role in ovarian function in species of differing phylogeny.