Effect of hypophysectomy on hypothalamic somatostatin content in rats

The effect of hypophysectomy on the hypothalamic somatostatin content was examined in rats. Somatostatin content in the acid extract of the pituitary stalk and the median eminence tissue (SME) was measured by specific radioimmunoassay. In young male rats, the mean somatostatin content in SME was 63.9+/-5.0 ng. Two weeks after hypophysectomy, it was reduced significantly to 34.4+/-3.3 ng. The result may indicate that the elimination of feedback actions of GH and/or TSH on the hypothalamus led to the decreased synthesis and/or the release of somatostatin. However, the possibility that structural changes in the pituitary stalk and the median eminence tissue ensued after hypophysectomy resulted in the depletion of somatostatin cannot be ruled out.