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Thyroidal uptake and release of 131I were used to study the response of pituitary autografts to locally infused synthetic thyrotrophin releasing factor (TRF) and porcine median eminence extract (MEE). Thyroidal release rates of 14% ¹³¹I/24h were maintained during continuous infusion of grafts with MEE (equivalent to 4 hypothalami/day) while 12·6% ¹³¹I/24 h was lost from thyroids of rats whose pituitary autografts were infused with 1000 ng synthetic TRF/day. Infusion of autografts with 5, 50 and 250 ng synthetic TRF/day resulted in lower, but dose-dependent, thyroidal responses suggesting that synthetic TRF could induce thyrotrophin (TSH) synthesis in the grafts.

At all doses of TRF, thyroidal ¹³¹I release was significantly increased by daily injection of cortisone (2 mg s.c.).

Local TRF stimulation of TSH release from pituitary grafts significantly increased the dose of thyroxine (T₄) needed to decrease thyroid activity, and while 1·0 µg T₄/100 g depressed activity in rats receiving saline infusions, 1·7–2·7 µg T₄/100 g was needed to inhibit ¹³¹I release in rats receiving 250 ng TRF/day, and 3 µg T₄/100 g was needed by rats receiving 1000 ng TRF/day.

Continuous TSH infusion (25–28 mu./day) into hypophysectomized rats induced thyroidal ¹³¹I release at rates similar to those in rats with TRF-stimulated pituitary autografts.

It is suggested that while synthetic TRF can enhance TSH synthesis in the pituitary its effects on TSH synthesis may normally be potentiated by other humoral substances.