DEVELOPMENT OF A RADIOIMMUNOASSAY FOR α-MELANOCYTE-STIMULATING HORMONE IN THE RAT

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Abstract
SUMMARY: A sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay for α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) was developed. Extracts of the neurointermediate lobe of the rat produced displacement curves which were parallel to those obtained with synthetic α-MSH. The mean immunoreactive a-MSH concentration in neurointermediate lobes from normal adult rats was 2768 ± 200 (s.e.m.) ng/lobe. This accounted for approximately 78% of the MSH activity of the neurointermediate lobe as measured by bioassay. Much lower levels of immunoreactive α-MSH were found in the anterior lobe of the rat. Extracts of rat serum and plasma also contained immunoreactive α-MSH and the mean level was found to be 237 ± 20 pg/ml. This was slightly lower than the level measured in rat plasma by bioassay. Increased levels of α-MSH were found in plasma of rats 1 and 3 h after a single injection of trifluoperazine and after 1·5 min of ether anaesthesia. These changes were reflected by decreases in the α-MSH content of the neurointermediate lobe.

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