Role of VIP in the regulation of LH secretion in the female rat
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Frequent Tail-tip Blood Sampling in Mice for the Assessment of Pulsatile Luteinizing Hormone Secretion
Published on: July 4, 2018
1Department of Physiology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
Abstract:
Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is found within neurons throughout the body. It influences the secretion of several hormones of the anterior pituitary by neural and pituitary actions. We review work from our laboratory that indicates that VIP inhibits the secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) by a hypothalamic action. Experiments involving neural lesions indicate that VIP acts on the receptor field in the paraventricular nuclei of neurons whose cell bodies are located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei. The effect on LH secretion is subsequently mediated by a nonVIPergic pathway, which does not appear to involve either dopamine or endogenous opioids. Experiments with the specific VIP antagonist, [4Cl-D-Phe6,Leu17]VIP, indicate that the actions on LH secretion of VIP and of the related peptides, growth hormone-releasing hormone and secretin, are mediated by VIP-preferring receptors. VIP also blocks the steroid-induced LH surge in the ovariectomized rat. The VIP antagonist induces a significant, but small increase in LH secretion in the intact rat, indicating that VIP has a modulatory, rather than deterministic, role in the regulation of LH secretion.
More Related Videos
11:04Unraveling the Role of Discrete Areas of the Rat Brain in the Regulation of Ovulation through Reversible Inactivation by Tetrodotoxin Microinjections
Published on: September 3, 2020
08:56Remote Neuronal Activation Coupled with Automated Blood Sampling to Induce and Measure Circulating Luteinizing Hormone in Mice
Published on: August 25, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration
Various transmembrane receptors, such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), elicit a response to extracellular signals by increasing cytosolic calcium. Activated GPCRs...
Regulation of Hormone Secretion
Humoral stimuli,...
Hormones of the Pituitary Gland
The most abundantly secreted hormone from the anterior lobe is the growth hormone, which controls overall growth by...
Hormonal Regulation of the Menstrual Cycle
At puberty, GnRH begins a pulsatile release pattern, which triggers the anterior pituitary gland to secrete follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). The frequency and amplitude of GnRH pulses vary across the menstrual cycle, with faster pulses favoring LH release and slower pulses favoring FSH release.
Testosterone: Functions and Regulation
Hormonal Control of the Ovarian Cycle
Before puberty, the hypothalamus releases GnRH in a low frequency, low amplitude pulsatile manner. This along with the immature hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis activity, results in low estrogen levels and the absence of a fully functional ovarian cycle. At puberty, GnRH secretion increases in both frequency and...