This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit a related Letter to the Editor Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Copyright Permission Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by LAMBERTS, S. W.J. Articles by OOSTEROM, R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by LAMBERTS, S. W.J. Articles by OOSTEROM, R.

Differences inthe Interaction between Dopamine and Estradiol onProlactin Release byCultured Normal and Tumorous Human Pituitary Cells^*

Department of Medicine, Erasmus University, Rotterdam The Netherlands

Address allcorrespondence and requests for reprints to: StevenW. J. Lamberts, M.D., University Hospital Dijkzigt, 40 Dr. Molewater-plein, 3015 GDRotterdam, The Netherlands.

Westudied the interaction between dopamine and estradiol onPRL release bycultured normal and tumorous PRL-secreting cells prepared from human pituitaries. If pituitary glands were obtained within 3 h after sudden death of previously normal individuals, theviability of isolated pituitary cells prepared by dispersion with dispase was more than75%. After 4days ofcultur,dopamine (500 nM) inhibited PRL release by cells prepared from four normal pituitaries by 24± 3%(± SEM). Pretreatment of the cells with 100 nM estradiol did not alter dopamine-mediated inhibition of PRL release. Estradiol alone increased basal PRL release andcell PRL content.Cultured PRL-secreting pituitary tumor cells, obtained by transsphenoidal operation from four patients, were similarly sensitive to dopamine. Estradiol stimulated tumor cell PRL releaseand content, but significantly diminished the inhibitory effect of dopamine. Theestrogen receptor blocker tamoxifen didnotalter PRL release, butitdidreverse theestradiol-induced insensitivity of the prolactinoma cells tothedopamine agonist bromocriptine.

In conclusion, these invitro results indicate that estrogensdo notantagonize theeffect of dopamine on normal human PRL-secreting pituitary cells. In human pituitarytumor cells,how-ever, estradiol decreased the sensitivity of PRL release to do-pamine (agonists), andthe estrogen action canbe acutely reversed by tamoxifen. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab63: 1342, 1986)

^* This work was supported by a grant from the Dutch Cancer Foundation (Het Koningin Wilhelmina Fonds) andthe Dutch Foundation forFundamental Research (FUNGO).

Received April 24, 1986.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				N. Ben-Jonathan, C. R. LaPensee, and E. W. LaPensee What Can We Learn from Rodents about Prolactin in Humans? Endocr. Rev., February 1, 2008; 29(1): 1 - 41. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. Ben-Jonathan and R. Hnasko Dopamine as a Prolactin (PRL) Inhibitor Endocr. Rev., December 1, 2001; 22(6): 724 - 763. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]