Comparative Physiology of Neurohypophysial Hormone Action on the Vertebrate Oviduct-Uterus

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The neurohypophysial hormone, arginine vasotocin, is depleted from the hypothalamus, and rises in concentration in the blood during oviposition in hens. The contractile responses of isolated oviducts from birds, reptiles and amphibians are more sensitive to arginine vasotocin than to oxytocin or mesotocin. This evidence clearly indicates that arginine vasotocin is involved in parturition or oviposition in nonmammalian tetrapods. Evidence for a physiological role for specific neurohypophysial hormones in the regulation of oviduct—or in some cases ovarian — contractility in fishes is unclear and occasionally contradictory. However, it appears unlikely that arginine vasotocin is involved in the fish species that have been investigated. It is evident that, much like the neurohypophysial hormones, the neurohypophysial hormone receptors of the vertebrate myometrium have undergone evolutionary change.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: