Arginine Vasopressin Contents of the Hypothalamus and Pituitary during Fetal and Postnatal Development in the Mouse: mouse/radioimmunoassay/vasopressin/neurosecretion

Abstract

The contents of arginine vasopressin (AVP) in the hypothalamus and the pituitary of the mouse during fetal and postnatal development were measured by radioimmunoassay. AVP was first detected in the hypothalamo‐pituitary system at the fetal age of 14 days (FA 14). After FA 15, the pituitary levels were higher than the hypothalamic levels except on FA 16. The greater AVP content of the hypothalamus than the pituitary only on FA 16 suggests that AVP synthesis in the perikarya of AVP‐producing neurons may significantly increase between FA 15 and FA 16, and that the hormonal transport to the pituitary may be characteristically activated between FA 16 and FA 17. The levels of AVP in both the hypothalamus and the pituitary increased exponentially until the postnatal age of 21 days (PA 21). After PA 30, the content in the pituitary continued to increase, while that in the hypothalamus was kept almost constant. The decrease in AVP content in the pituitary was found between PA 0 and PA 1, and PA 21 and PA 30. These results suggest that AVP might be released from the pituitary in response to significant changes in water metabolism elicited at birth and weaning. Copyright © 1988, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved