A NORMAL OVULATORY WOMAN WITH HYPERPROLACTINEMIA - PRESENCE OF ANTI-PROLACTIN AUTOANTIBODY AND THE REGULATION OF PROLACTIN SECRETION

We present the case of a normal ovulatory woman with marked hyperprolactinemia and no evidence of a pituitary adenoma on CT and MRI. Gel filtration studies showed that most immunoreactive PRL was eluted as 150K - 17OK miacroprolactin. Anti-PRL, autoantibody was detected and Scatchard analysis revealed a low-affinity (the association constant: 1.29 x 10(7) l/mol), high-capacity (the maximal binding capacity: 1174-mu-g/l) antibody. Dopamine had little suppressive effect on PRL levels and an anti-dopaminergic agent elicited an augmented response of PRL secretion. These results suggest that the presence of anti-PRL, autoantibody may delay the clearance of PRL and/or may alter the central regulation of PRL, secretion.