Specificity of the stimulatory effect of prostaglandins on hormone release in rat anterior pituitary cells in culture.

Specificity of the effect of prostaglandins (PGs) on hormone release by the anterior pituitary gland was studied using cells in primary culture. Growth hormone (GH) release is stimulated by all eight PGs studied, PGE1 and E2 being 1000-fold more potent than the corresponding PGFs. The release of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and prolactin (PRL) remains unchanged upon addition of PGEs. While the basal release of thyrotropin (TSH) is only slightly stimulated by concentrations of PGEs above 10(-6)M, an important potentiation of the stimulatory effect of thyrotropin-releasing hormone on TSH release is observed. The release of GH, TSH and LH is stimulated equally well by PGAs and PGBs at concentrations higher than 10(-6)M, 3 X 10(-6)M, and 10(-5)M, respectively. PGFs do not affect the release of any of the measured pituitary hormones at concentrations below 10(-4)M. The stimulation of GH release by PGE2 can be inhibited by the PG antagonist 7-oxa-13-prostynoic acid, a half-maximal inhibition being found at a concentration of 4 X 10(-5)M of the antagonist in the presence of 10(-6)M PGE2. In the presence of somatostatin 10(-8)M, the inhibition of GH release cannot be reversed by PGE2 at concentrations up to 10(-4)M. 8-bromo-cyclic AMP-induced GH release is additive with that produced by PGE2. The present data show that 1) of the five pituitary hormones measured, only GH release is stimulated by prostaglandins at relatively low concentrations, 2) the PGE-induced GH release can be competitively inhibited by 7-oxa-13-prostynoic acid, 3) the inhibition of GH release by somatostatin cannot be reversed by PGE2 and 4) the PGEs increase the responsiveness of the thyrotrophs to TRH.