Central Effect of Somatostatin on the Secretion of Growth Hormone in the Anesthetized Rat

Abstract
Summary Injection of somatostatin into the lateral ventricle caused a significant and dose-dependent increase in plasma GH in urethane-anesthetized rats. Increases in plasma GH induced by intraventricular injection of somatostatin were significantly blunted in rats with hypothalamic destruction. Somatostatin infusion into the pituitary portal vessel significantly lowered plasma GH. These results suggest that somatostatin has dual effects on GH secretion: one is inhibitory effect on the pituitary and another is stimulating action possibly through somewhere in the CNS.