Abstract
There is evidence that the neuroendocrine system can be modulated by endogenous opioid peptides (for a review see ref. 1). Recently Rotsztejn et al.2 have ruled out a direct effect of Met-enkephalin on release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Instead they postulated that Met-enkephalin inhibits the secretion of dopamine from dopaminergic neurones thereby reducing the dopamine-stimulated release of GnRH from the hypothalamus. We report here evidence that GnRH can itself supress dopamine synthesis in the rat. The fact that the dopamine neurone and GnRH-secreting cell are adjacent to each other3 suggests a feedback mechanism of regulating GnRH release.
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Wang, WK., Jenq, L., Chiang, Y. et al. Inhibition of dopamine biosynthesis by gonadotropin-releasing hormone in rat. Nature 296, 354 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/296354a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/296354a0
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