The effect of intracarotid vasopressin infusion on ACTH release in neurohypophysectomized, conscious dogs.

Neurohypophysectomy (NHX) attenuates the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) response to arterial hypotension but not corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) or insulin-induced hypoglycemia in conscious dogs. The purpose of the present study was to determine if increasing vasopressin (AVP) in the cephalic circulation by carotid infusion normalizes the ACTH response to hypotension attenuated by NHX. Five male, conditioned dogs underwent controlled, acute decreases in arterial pressure (by approximately 25 mmHg) by infusion of sodium nitroprusside (NP) before and > 4 wk after selective NHX. ACTH increased from 40 +/- 3 to 242 +/- 79 pg/ml during NP in the intact state. This response was greatly attenuated after NHX (peak ACTH 81 +/- 15 pg/ml). Simultaneous intravenous infusion of AVP (12.5 ng/min) had a small, augmenting effect on the ACTH response to NP (peak ACTH 120 +/- 27 pg/ml). Intracarotid AVP (12.5 ng/min) greatly augmented the ACTH response to NP (peak ACTH 202 +/- 26 pg/ml) such that it was no longer different from the intact response. Neither intravenous nor intracarotid AVP infusion per se had a great effect on ACTH. A normal ACTH response to hypotension requires an intact neurohypophysis and is mediated by a cephalic action of magnocellular AVP.