Paraoxon: effects on rat brain cholinesterase and on growth hormone and prolactin of pituitary.

Cholinesterase activity of brain and content of growth hormone and prolactin in the pituitary were compared after short-term (3 days) and long-term (14 days) treatment with paraoxon in male and female rats. Within 3 days cholinesterase activity was reduced to between 5 and 15 percent of that in controls. The content of growth hormone in the pituitary was increased in long-term experiments by 50 percent. This increase in paraoxon-treated animals-suggests a possible role of a cholinergic mechanism in the regulation of growth hormone secretion.