Dissociation between vasopressin and oxytocin mRNA and peptide secretion after AV3V lesions

The effect of hypertonic NaCl consumption on vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT) mRNA levels and plasma and pituitary peptides was evaluated in rats with sham or anterior ventral third ventricular (AV3V) lesions. Rats were given tap water or 2% NaCl for 4 days. Because the rats with lesions drank significantly less salt solution than the controls (78.8 +/- 17.4 vs. 205.5 +/- 37.8 ml/4 days), a second control group was included in which saline intake was matched to the lesioned group. AV3V rats showed a deficit in the peptide response to the osmotic stimulus. There was no increase in plasma VP or OT or decrease in posterior pituitary peptide content in the face of an extreme hypernatremia: plasma sodium of 180.1 +/- 4.2 meq/l. Evaluation of mRNA changes by means of in situ hybridization showed that animals with lesions responded to the salt challenge with increases in hypothalamic VP and OT mRNA levels. There were significant increases in paraventricular and supraoptic OT mRNA and paraventricular VP mRNA in the lesioned group. The salt-matched control group showed no changes in peptide mRNA levels. These results demonstrate that AV3V lesions produce an impairment of the salt-neuroendocrine reflex but a persistence of the peptide mRNA response. Differences in control mechanisms must account for this dissociation between peptide mRNA expression and peptide secretion.