Estimation of Corticotropin-Releasing Activity of Rat Hypothalamus and Neurohypophysis Before and After Stress1

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Abstract
A method is described for the quantitative measurement of the corticotropin- releasing activity of crude hypothalamic and neurohypophysial extracts. The method involves the measurement of blood ACTH concentrations 1.25 min after an intracarotid injection of the extract into female cortisol-blocked rats. The corticotropin-releasing activity of the posterior lobe of the pituitary can largely be accounted for by its vasopressin content and was not measurable after acute stress. The corticotropin-releasing activity appears to be concentrated in the median eminence region and shows a marked and rapid increase after stress. (Endocrinology75: 514, 1964)