-transparent.png){kind=logo}
The rat pineal gland is known to release melatonin in response to noradrenergic stimulation. The effect of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), one of the neuropeptides present in the pineal, was examined on perifused rat pineal glands. VIP stimulated melatonin release with a dose-dependent effect above 10(-7) M. In regard of kinetic characteristics, the pattern of melatonin release after VIP stimulation was similar to that after isoproterenol stimulation. 10(-6) M VIP-stimulated melatonin release was not altered when the pineal glands were treated with 10(-5) M propranolol (a beta-adrenergic antagonist) or 10(-5) M prazosin (an alpha 1-adrenergic antagonist). Thus VIP has a noradrenergic-independent effect on melatonin secretion. Conversely, this VIP effect is greatly inhibited by the specific action of a VIPergic antagonist. This suggests that VIP acts on melatonin synthesis through its own binding sites. This study demonstrates that melatonin secretion from rat pineal glands may be elicited through a VIPergic system which is independent of the well-known noradrenergic system.
V Simonneaux, and
A Ouichou, and
P Pévet
June 1978,
FEBS letters,
V Simonneaux, and
A Ouichou, and
P Pévet
February 1983,
Endocrinology,
V Simonneaux, and
A Ouichou, and
P Pévet
January 1992,
Journal of pineal research,
V Simonneaux, and
A Ouichou, and
P Pévet
October 1984,
Endocrinology,
V Simonneaux, and
A Ouichou, and
P Pévet
October 1988,
The American journal of physiology,
V Simonneaux, and
A Ouichou, and
P Pévet
August 1981,
Regulatory peptides,
V Simonneaux, and
A Ouichou, and
P Pévet
March 1988,
Acta endocrinologica,
V Simonneaux, and
A Ouichou, and
P Pévet
February 1987,
Journal of steroid biochemistry,
V Simonneaux, and
A Ouichou, and
P Pévet
January 1993,
Life sciences,
V Simonneaux, and
A Ouichou, and
P Pévet
August 2004,
Neuro endocrinology letters,
