Chapter 6 Human hypothalamic and pituitary neuroendocrine function during in vitro perifusion

Abstract

In vitro perifusion of hypothalamic and pituitary tissue is a technique, which has been used extensively in animal studies, where it has been clearly demonstrated to complement and enhance other in vivo and in vitro methodologies for investigating neuro-endocrine regulation. This chapter discusses the basic in vitro perifusion technology, the examples of the application of this technique to human hypothalamic and pituitary neuroendocrine regulation, and the strengths and limitations of this experimental approach to assess the utility of this methodology in the investigation of human hypothalamic and pituitary function. This technique offers several advantages, for example, interactions among neuro-endocrine factors directly and exclusively at pituitary or hypothalamic sites without confounding intermediary responses can be readily investigated, or the concentration, pattern, and duration of administration of one or several potentially interacting modulators can be easily controlled. However, there are also significant limitations on the utility of this technique, such as it is difficult to confirm whether the activity of the tissue in vitro accurately reflects activity in vivo . Therefore, in vitro perifusion results must always be considered in the context of results obtained with other complementary experimental methods.