Abstract

Thirty min suckling by 6 pups following 10 hr of nonsuckling on postpartum day 14 reduced significantly the concentration of growth hormone (GH) in the pituitary gland in 2 trials to 25.6 and 15.9% of that of rats nonsuckled for 101/2 hr. Thirty min suckling by 2, 6 or 10 pups following 8 hr of nonsuckling on postpartum day 7 also reduced significantly the GH concentration (40.0–69.2% of that obtained in nonsuckled controls). Suckling by 6 or 10 pup litters was somewhat more effective than that of 2 pup litters in reducing pituitary GH concentration; the litter size was adjusted from the normal complement of 6 pups just prior to suckling. These data suggest that GH normally is released from the pituitary gland by acute suckling. (Endocrinology82: 617, 1968)

This content is only available as a PDF.
You do not currently have access to this article.