Lynch H J, Rivest R W, Wurtman R J
Neuroendocrinology. 1980 Aug;31(2):106-11. doi: 10.1159/000123059.
Melatonin was slowly and intermittently infused into rats via an apparatus that allowed it to be discharged from a subcutaneous implant according to a predetermined temporal program. We found that infusion of an aqueous solution of melatonin, mixed with a dye, or of an immiscible fluid lacking melatonin or dye, could be monitored by measuring levels of melatonin or of dye in the rats' urine. We observed a 24-hour rhythm in melatonin excretion which corresponded to the times of its infusion by the apparatus. Approximately 0.1% of infused melatonin was recovered unchanged in the urine. This method of administering exogenous melatonin may facilitate explaining the physiological significance of rhythms in its secretion and rhythms in plasma levels of other hormones.
褪黑素通过一种装置缓慢且间歇性地注入大鼠体内，该装置可使褪黑素根据预定的时间程序从皮下植入物中释放出来。我们发现，注入与染料混合的褪黑素水溶液、不含褪黑素或染料的不混溶流体，均可通过测量大鼠尿液中褪黑素或染料的水平来监测。我们观察到褪黑素排泄呈现24小时节律，这与装置注入褪黑素的时间相对应。约0.1%注入的褪黑素在尿液中未发生变化而被回收。这种给予外源性褪黑素的方法可能有助于解释其分泌节律以及其他激素血浆水平节律的生理意义。
