DEPRENYL STIMULATES THE RELEASE OF LUTEINIZING-HORMONE FROM THE PITUITARY IN-VITRO

The direct effects of deprenyl on the pituitary were investigated by m easuring the release of luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary gl ands of male Sprague-Dawley rats in vitro. Basal release of LH was det ermined by incubating the pituitaries in Krebs-Ringer Henseleit (KRH) solution with 0, 0.1, 1, or 10 mM of deprenyl for 1 h. In the control group, LH release was not different in pre-and posttreatment periods. In contrast in the 10 mM group, LH release increased by 436% (p<0.01). Incubation of pituitaries with 0.1 or 1 mM deprenyl did not alter LH release. It is concluded that deprenyl, a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, can also act directly on the pituitary.