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Effect of 5-methoxytryptophan and 5-methoxytryptamine on the reproductive system of the male golden hamster

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Summary

S.c. injections of 25μg of methoxytryptamine (5-MT) in oil into adult male hamsters given between 4.30 and 5 p.m. (light on from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.: 14 L/10 D) for 51 consecutive days caused involution of the testes. Similar injections of 5-MT given between 8.30 and 9.30 a.m. completely failed to cause regression of the gonads. Under the same conditions, 5-methoxytryptophan (5-MTP) did not induce gonadal atrophy, neither in the morning nor in the late afternoon. These results indicate that, like melatonin, 5-methoxytryptamine is implicated in the control of the reproductive function.

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Author notes

  1. P. Pévet

    Present address: The Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    C. Haldat-Misra (IBRO/UNESCO Fellow) & T. Öcal (ETPBBR Fellow)

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  1. P. Pévet
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  2. C. Haldat-Misra
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  3. T. Öcal
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Pévet, P., Haldat-Misra, C. & Öcal, T. Effect of 5-methoxytryptophan and 5-methoxytryptamine on the reproductive system of the male golden hamster. J. Neural Transmission 51, 303–311 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01248961

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