Immunocytochemical evidence for vasopressin and oxytocin pathways in the hypothalamo-hypophyseal axis of the camel (Camelus dromedarius).

Immunoperoxidase staining was applied to the hypothalamus and posterior pituitary of the camel. Vasopressin and oxytocin cells and fibers were identified in different nuclei of the hypothalamus. Immunoreactive fiber tracts were followed to the median eminence and the posterior pituitary. In the median eminence, two different pathways were found for vasopressin, one passing to the posterior lobe and the other contacting capillaries of the portal system. The oxytocin antiserum stained one unique pathway in the internal zone on its way to the posterior pituitary. The two immunoreactivities were shown in the posterior lobe of the pituitary, vasopressin staining being the more intense. Relations between these data and the physiology of the camel are discussed.