Samson W K, Schell D A
Department of Physiology, University of North Dakota School of Medicine, Grand Forks 58202-9037, USA.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 1995;395:355-64.
Release of oxytocin into the vicinity of the long portal vessels connecting the hypothalamus with the anterior pituitary gland and the presence of short portal vessels connecting the posterior lobe to the anterior pituitary established the potential for the peptide to act in a neuroendocrine fashion controlling the release of one or several adenohypophyseal hormones. Indeed, oxytocin receptors are present in the gland and numerous trophic effects of the peptide have been described, some with apparent physiological relevance. Thus under defined physiologic conditions a participatory role for oxytocin in the physiologic regulation of at least two hormones, prolactin and adrenocorticotropin, has been evidenced and there is developing credence to the concept that oxytocin may indirectly control gonadotroph function as well. Most recently, novel technologies have identified subpopulations of oxytocin receptive cells within a given cell type in the anterior pituitary gland and the concept of a modulatory effect of the nonapeptide on primary regulatory events has arisen.
催产素释放到连接下丘脑与腺垂体的长门脉血管附近，以及存在连接垂体后叶与腺垂体的短门脉血管，这表明该肽具有以神经内分泌方式作用的潜力，可控制一种或几种腺垂体激素的释放。事实上，腺垂体中存在催产素受体，并且已经描述了该肽的多种营养作用，其中一些具有明显的生理相关性。因此，在特定的生理条件下，催产素在至少两种激素（催乳素和促肾上腺皮质激素）的生理调节中发挥参与作用，这一点已得到证实，并且越来越多的人相信催产素也可能间接控制促性腺激素细胞的功能。最近，新技术已经在前叶垂体的特定细胞类型中鉴定出催产素受体细胞亚群，并且出现了九肽对初级调节事件具有调节作用的概念。
