Bromocriptine inhibits salsolinol-induced prolactin release in male goats.

The secretion of prolactin (PRL) is under the dominant and tonic inhibitory control of dopamine (DA); however, we have recently found that salsolinol (SAL), an endogenous DA-derived compound, strongly stimulated the release of PRL in ruminants. The aim of the present study was to clarify the inhibitory effect of DA on the SAL-induced release of PRL in ruminants. The experiments were performed from late June to early July. Male goats were given a single intravenous (i.v.) injection of SAL (5 mg/kg body weight (BW)), a DA receptor antagonist (sulpiride, 0.1 mg/kg BW), or thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH, 1 mu g/kg BW) before and after treatment with a DA receptor agonist (bromocriptine), and the effect of DA on SAL-induced PRL release was compared to that on sulpiride- or TRH-induced release. Bromocriptine completely inhibited the SAL-induced release of PRL (P < 0.05), and the area under the response curve (AUC) for a 120-min period after the treatment with bromocriptine was 1/28 of that for before the treatment (P < 0.05). Bromocriptine also completely inhibited the sulpiride-induced release (P < 0.05). The AUC post-treatment was 1/17 that of pre-treatment with bromocriptine (P < 0.05). Bromocriptine also inhibited the TRH-induced release (P < 0.05), though not completely. The AUC post-treatment was 1/3.8 that of pre-treatment (P < 0.05). These results indicate that DA inhibits the SAL-induced release of PRL in male goats, and suggest that SAL and DA are involved in regulating the secretion of PRL. They also suggest that in terms of the regulatory process for the secretion of PRL, SAL resembles sulpiride but differs from TRH.