Enalapril decreases plasma prolactin levels in hypertensive patients

Angiotensin II stimulates prolactin release both in vivo in the rat and in vitro in anterior pituitary cell cultures. Moreover, angiotensin II binding sites have been identified in pituitary lactotrophs and it has been shown that angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is present in rat anterior pituitary. We studied the effect of enalapril, a potent converting enzyme inhibitor, on baseline prolactin levels in nine hypertensive postmenopausal women. The results indicate that 15-day inhibition of ACE by enalapril reduced prolactinaemia, suggesting that angiotensin II plays a role in the control of prolactin secretion in hypertensives.