Acute effects of N-methyl-DL-aspartate on the release of pituitary gonadotropins and prolactin in the adult female rhesus monkey.

The acute effects of an aspartic acid analogue, N-methyl-DL-aspartate (NMA), upon the release of several anterior pituitary hormones were examined in adult female rhesus monkeys. Intravenous injection of NMA (15 mg kg body weight) induced a large and rapid rise in plasma levels of luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, and prolactin. Thyroid stimulating hormone concentrations were not altered. Thus, in primates, as in rodents, systemically administered NMA is capable of eliciting pituitary hormone secretion, although the site of its action in the rhesus monkey remains to be established.