Effects of melatonin on salsolinol-induced prolactin secretion in goats

The aim of the present study was to clarify the effect of melatonin (MEL) on the salsolinol (SAL)-induced release of prolactin (PRL) in goats. Female goats were kept at 20°C with 16 h of light, 8 h of darkness, and orally administered saline or MEL for 5 weeks. A single intravenous (i.v.) injection of saline (controls), SAL, thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) or a dopamine receptor antagonist, sulpiride, was given to the goats 3 weeks after the first oral administrations of saline or MEL, and the responses were compared. The mean basal plasma PRL concentrations in the control group were higher for the saline treatments than MEL treatments (P < 0.05). SAL as well as TRH and sulpiride stimulated the release of PRL promptly after each injection in both the saline- and MEL-treated groups (P < 0.05). The area under the response curve of PRL for the 60-min period after the i.v. injection of SAL, TRH and sulpiride in the saline-treated group was greater than each corresponding value in the MEL-treated group (P < 0.05). These results show that daily exposure to MEL under a long day length reduces the PRL-releasing response to SAL as well as TRH and sulpiride in goats.