Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol 44, 850-858, Copyright © 1977 by Endocrine Society

ARTICLES

The effects of ovine prolactin on water and electrolyte excretion in man are attributable to vasopressin contamination

RM Carey, AJ Johanson and SM Seif

Prolactin is an important osmoregulatory hormone in several lower vertebrate species. The present study was undertaken to clarify the effects of prolactin, if any, on human renal function. Eight normal adult male subjects on a 150 mEq sodium (Na), 60 mEq potassium (K) diet for 5 days were studied during 12 h of oral water (H2O) loading on 2 consecutive days. On day 1, after a 6 h control period, a 1 ml normal saline placebo was given im; on day 2, 25 mg of ovine prolactin (OP) was substituted. The subjects were supine and received a constant infusion of Na and K. After OP, serum prolactin rose from 6.9+/-0.8 ng/ml to 15.0+/-2.5 ng/ml (P less than .01) at 1 h, 27.6+/-4.0 ng/ml (P less than .002) at 2 h, 33.1+/-4.3 ng/ml (P less than .001) at 3 h and remained elevated for the remaining 3 h of study. The ovine prolactin had 20-25% of the potency of human prolactin in the human prolactin radioimmunoassay system. In response to OP, free H2O clearance (CH2O) promptly decreased from 10.1 +/- .06 ml/min to 6.1 +/- .05 ml/min (P less than 0.1) at 1 h, to a nadir of 5.1+/-.3 ml/min (P less than .001) at 2 h, and returned to control levels by 4 h. CH2O was unchanged after placebo, and urinary Na and K excretion, creatinine and osmolar clearance (COSM), plasma Na, K, osmolality and aldosterone were unchanged after OP or placebo. Control plasma vasopressin was 1.0+/-0.1 micronU/ml and was not changed after prolactin (1.1+/-0.1 micronU/ml at 1 h, 1.1+/-0.1 micronU/ml at 2 h and 1.1+/-0.1 micronU/ml at 3 h). The ovine prolactin contained 2 micronU of immunoassayable vasopressin per microng of powder. Aqueous vasopressin, 50 mU (containing in 25 mg of ovine prolactin), produced a decrease in CH2O not significantly different from prolactin in 6 water loaded subjects. Four different subjects given 100 mg of OP had decreased CH2O from 8.3+/-0.3 to 2.7+/- 0.7 ml/min at 1 h (P less than .001) and to 2.8+/-0.7 ml/min at 2 h (P less than .01). Control plasma osmolality was 301+/-4 mOsm/1 and decreased to a maximum of 288+/-5 mOsm/1 4 h after OP (P less than .001). After prolactin administration, plasma vasopressin rose from 0.44+/-0.15 to 0.80+/-0.41 micronU/ml (P =NS) at 1 h. The transient antidiuresis in response to ovine prolactin is due to contamination of the preparation with vasopressin. Prolactin does not acutely influence renal electrolyte excretion and probably does not influence water excretion in man.