EFFECTS OF INJECTING MELATONIN AND ITS PRECURSORS INTO THE LATERAL CEREBRAL VENTRICLES ON SELECTED ORGANS IN RATS

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Abstract
Much evidence has been accumulated in recent years to show that systemic administration of melatonin and its precursors (5-hydroxytryptophan, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and N-acetyl-5-hydroxytryptamine) affects various target organs: the thyroid (De Prospo, Safinski, De Martino & McGuinness, 1969), ovary (Wurtman, Axelrod & Chu, 1963), adrenals (Gramova, Kraus & Krecek, 1967) and adenohypophysis (Moskowska, 1965). In view of recent findings by Anton-Tay & Wurtman (1969) that 100 times more isotopically labelled melatonin is retained in the brain after injection into the lateral ventricles than after systemic administration, it was decided to re-examine some of the aforementioned effects of the indoles, using an intraventricular route. It appeared that this method would not only place the different compounds in closer proximity to the hypothalamic nuclei governing the actions of the various organs, but would increase their retention in these areas as well. Ninety female Sprague—Dawley rats (130–150 g) were kept for 10 days at

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