The effects of short photoperiod, pinealectomy, and melatonin treatment on oxytocin synthesis and release in the male syrian hamster.

The pineal gland has been shown to affect plasma oxytocin (OT) levels, but the mechanism of this action is not apparent. In the present study, the ability of the photoperiod to affect plasma OT levels, neurointermediate lobe (NIL) OT content, and hypothalamic OT mRNA levels was studied in male Syrian hamsters. In addition, the ability of pinealectomy to prevent and melatonin (MEL) to mimic the short photoperiod-induced changes were also determined. Exposure to short days (SD) led to the expected decrease in testes weight and plasma PRL levels, but plasma OT levels were unchanged. However, NIL OT content was increased in the SD-exposed animals. Hypothalamic OT mRNA levels were not significantly altered by SD exposure. Pinealectomy blocked the effects of SD on testes weight, whereas afternoon MEL injections mimicked the effects of SD. In long day (LD)-exposed hamsters, pinealectomy induced a decrease in NIL OT content without altering hypothalamic OT mRNA levels. In SD-exposed animals, NIL OT content was not affected by pinealectomy. Melatonin injections had no significant effect on NIL OT content or hypothalamic OT mRNA levels. The data from the present study suggest that exposure of male Syrian hamsters to short photoperiods influences some aspects of OT synthesis and/or transport to produce its increased accumulation in the NIL, but does not affect OT release. These changes are apparently not the result of SD-induced changes in MEL secretion, but conceivably could be related to the previously documented effects of SD on hypothalamic catecholamine turnover.