Regulation of prolactin and thyrotrophin secretion during human pregnancy: effect of sulpiride and TRH administration
Abstract. The regulation of prolactin (Prl) and thyrotrophin (TSH) secretions during early human gestation was studied in 30 healthy women. Twelve women were treated with oral sulpiride, 150 mg daily for two weeks, and the Prl and TSH responses to 220 μg of iv thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH) were measured before and at the end of sulpiride administration. Eight women were given 200 mg of sulpiride im, and 4 of them received 200 μg of TRH 30 min later. In 4 women the order of the TRH and sulpiride injections was reversed. Six women were studied as controls. Oral sulpiride treatment induced a significant Prl elevation from 14.6 ± 1.8 μg/l (mean ± sem) to 83.0 ± 4.0 μg/l, whereas the mean TSH levels did not change. Before sulpiride intake, TRH caused a mean maximal increment of 42.9 ± 4.7 μg/l in the Prl levels and an increment of 5.6 ± 0.9 IU/l in the TSH levels. During sulpiride administration, TRH caused a mean maximal increment of 16.5 ± 4.7 μg/l in the Prl levels and 3.5 ± 0.6 IU/l in the TSH levels. Both responses were significantly smaller (P < 0.001) during the sulpiride treatment than before. Intramuscular injection of sulpiride raised the mean Prl concentration by 282 ± 32 μg/l (P < 0.001) and the mean TSH concentration by 0.5 ± 0.1 IU/l (P < 0.05). The Prl elevation was 502 ± 109 μg/l when sulpiride was injected after TRH. A preceding im sulpiride injection caused no changes in Prl and TSH responses to TRH. These results show that in addition to Prl also TSH secretion is partially controlled by the dopaminergic system during early human pregnancy.