Culture of human pituitary prolactin and growth hormone cells.

Fragments of pituitary tissue obtained from a total of 37 patients with either breast cancer, diabetic retinopathy, galactorrhea, or acromegaly were dissociated into single cell suspensions prior to cell culture. Release of human growth hormone (hGH) and human prolactin (hPRL) into the culture medium was measured by radioimmunoassay. During a 3-week culture period, prolactin cells released 9--13 times the intracellular levels of hPRL at the time of seeding, whereas hGH release from growth hormone cells was only 1--2 times that of their initial intracellular level during this same time. Both growth hormone and prolactin cells retained distinctive ultrastructural features during culture. The prolactin cells responded to TRH stimulation by elevated release of PRL into the medium. No evidence for mitotic division of prolactin cells in vitro was found.