IN VITRO UPTAKE OF TRITIATED OESTRADIOL BY THE RAT ANTERIOR HYPOTHALAMUS DURING THE OESTROUS CYCLE
ABSTRACT The anterior, middle and posterior hypothalamus, the cortex cerebri, the anterior hypophysis, and the diaphragm of postpubertal rats at different phases of the oestrous cycle were incubated in vitro with tritiated 17β-oestradiol. Uptake of radioactivity by the anterior hypothalamus at prooestrus and oestrus was lower than that at dioestrus. In contrast no fluctuation in the concentration of the radioactivity in the other parts of brain, the hypophysis and muscle was observed during the oestrous cycle. These in vitro findings are consistent with the in vivo observations of cyclic changes in phase with the oestrous cycle of the amount of radioactive oestradiol taken up by the anterior hypothalamus following the injection of tritiated oestradiol (Kato et al. 1969b). Thus it is further suggested that the oestradiol receptor in the anterior hypothalamus of the rat is involved in the physiological regulation and maintenance of cyclic changes in the hypothalamo-pituitary system through the mechanism of action of feedback of oestrogen.