SECRETION OF ACTH, LPH AND β‐ENDORPHIN FROM HUMAN PITUITARY TUMOURS IN VITRO

SUMMARY Basal and stimulated secretion of immunoreactive ACTH, LPH and β-endorphin from four human pituitary tumours has been studied in vitro using a superfused, isolated cell system. Chromatography of cell secretions under acid-dissociating conditions demonstrated that the human tumour cells released immunoreactive peptides with the elution profiles of αh (1–39) ACTH, βh-LPH, γh-LPH and βh-endorphin confirming that βh-endorphin is secreted by human pituitary tumour cells and is not formed by enzymic cleavage from βh-LPH in blood. No α- or βh-MSH, nor any higher molecular weight forms of ACTH or LPH were detected. The cells from all four tumours responded to stimulation with rat stalk-median eminence extract (SME) and synthetic AVP with a concomitant release of ACTH, β-LPH, γ-LPH and γ-endorphin. In contrast to the isolated rat anterior pituitary cells, the pattern of responses to SME and AVP were indistinguishable and the release provoked by rat SME could be accounted for virtually entirely by its vasopressin content. No stimulation of release was observed when the cells were exposed to a variety of biogenic amines. Addition of hydrocortisone to the perfusion buffer of two tumours resulted in a slow inhibition of both basal and stimulated ACTH and LPH release. These data demonstrate that human pituitary tumour tissue from patients with Cushing's disease and Nelson's syndrome can be studied in vitro and that such studies may contribute to a greater understanding of the aetiology of these diseases.