Prolactin levels in male and female rats perinatally treated with bromopride.

The purpose of this study was to correlate behavioral modifications observed in perinatally bromopride-treated animals with possible changes in prolactin (PRL) serum levels. Adult male and female rats perinatally treated with bromopride during pregnancy and/or lactation were used for measuring PRL serum levels. There were no differences in hormone levels between experimental and control groups. The well known sexual dimorphism was observed, i.e. females showed higher levels of PRL than did males. Males of the same cage showed a hormone increase related to the sequence of sacrifice, i.e. the first animals to be sacrificed showed lower PRL levels than did subsequent ones. The possibility raised was that behavioral changes previously observed in rats treated perinatally with bromopride are not related to changes in PRL levels.