Pituitary and plasma arginine vasotocin levels in teleost fish.

The role of arginine vasotocin (AVT) in teleostean osmoregulation is unclear. Its administration may produce dose-dependent effects on renal fluid loss though the physiological significance of such effects is unknown due to the paucity of data on the normal range in pituitary and plasma AVT levels. The present study addresses these questions by examining the pituitary AVT activity in the flounder and plasma AVT concentrations in the flounder, trout, and carp following alterations in environmental tonicity. Flounder pituitary AVT content, measured by bioassay, was elevated in freshwater (FW)-acclimated compared to seawater (SW)-acclimated fish and rapidly fell or rose, respectively, following transfer from FW to SW or from SW to FW to attain a new steady state. Plasma levels of AVT were higher in FW than in SW in both flounder and trout and it would, therefore, appear that the synthesis, storage, and secretion of AVT may be enhanced in FW. In the stenohaline carp plasma levels of AVT were unchanged on acclimation from FW to 40% SW. In SW flounder there was a significant positive correlation between plasma osmolality and plasma AVT concentration. Such a relationship was not apparent in FW fish, which may reflect differing roles for the hormone in these two extremes of osmotic environment.