VASOTOCIN CONTENT IN THE PINEAL GLAND OF FOETAL, NEWBORN AND ADULT MALE RATS

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Abstract
Institute of Endocrinology, Bucharest, Rumania (Received 6 January 1975) We have reported (Pavel, 1971) that the foetal bovine pineal contains about 27 times more arginine-vasotocin (AVT) than adult pineals, as deduced from its hydro-osmotic activities, and we have suggested that pineal AVT is elaborated by secretory ependymal cells. More recently, Pavel, Dorcescu, Petrescu-Holban & Ghinea (1973) have demonstrated that pineal ependymal cells from human foetuses can synthesize an AVT-like peptide when cultured in vitro. Since it has been shown that pineal secretory ependymal cells markedly regress after birth (Palkovits, Gábor & Lukács, 1962; Anderson, 1965), we have investigated whether this regression is accompanied by a corresponding reduction in the pineal AVT content. Foetal (17–19 days post coitum), newborn (1–5 days post partum) and adult, male Wistar rats (each group comprised 30 animals) were used. The pineals, removed within 30 s of decapitation, were defatted in acetone for 24 h, homogenized

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