Central infusion of vasopressin decreased plasma vasopressin concentration in dogs

The effects of increasing the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) vasopressin concentration (CSFADH) by intracerebroventricular infusion of vasopressin on the plasma vasopressin concentration (PADH) were studied in four groups of anesthetized dogs. One group received an intracerebroventricular infusion of artificial CSF (ACSF) alone for 90 min; the other groups were infused intracerebroventricularly with vasopressin at rates of 10, 20, or 50 microunits/min for 90 min. Arterial blood and CSF samples were taken just before infusion and at 30-min intervals for 210 min. Vasopressin infused intracerebroventricularly at 10, 20, and 50 microunits/min resulted in peak CSFADH of 32.2 +/- 5.3, 82.6 +/- 4.5, and 131.4 +/- 12.5 microunits/ml and reductions in PADH of 32, 47, and 51%, respectively. Only the latter two responses were significant (P less than 0.5-0.01). Because the peak increases in CSFADH after intracerebroventricular infusion of vasopressin ranged from values that were similar to or five times higher than those seen after severe hemorrhage or intracerebroventricular hypertonic saline infusion, we suggest that centrally acting vasopressin may play a physiological role in control of vasopressin secretion.