HUMORAL HYPOTHALAMIC CONTROL OF ANTERIOR PITUITARY: A STUDY WITH COMBINED TISSUECULTURES

Abstract

The current concepts of hypothalamo-pituitary relationships are based on the results of numerous in vivo experiments (Harris, 1951; Fortier, 1951; McCann, 1953; Hume, 1949; Benoit and Assenmacher, 1953). The possibility of investigating this problem by simple in vitro techniques was particularly challenging in view of a number of findings which suggested the necessity of some hypothalamic factor, so far overlooked, for the release of pituitary hormones in vitro. Indeed, conflicting results are to be found in the literature regarding possible secretion of hormones by the various endocrines in tissue cultures. If we consider the anterior lobe of the pituitary, it has been reported as able to produce gonadotrophins (Rosenberg, 1954), or growth hormone (Gaillard, 1948; Martinovitch, 1953) whereas other investigators concluded that it could not secrete gonadotrophins (Cutting and Lewis, 1938) or any hormone whatever (Anderson and Haymaker, 1935). It appears from a study of this literature that, whenever hormonal production has been found at all,