Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0018801 (heart failure)
 72,216 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Recent studies have revealed the importance of fish-derived peptide hormones to human endocrinology. These peptides include melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), urocortins (human urotensin-I), and urotensin-II. MCH, a hypothalamic peptide, is a potent stimulator on appetite. Urocortins, e.g. urocortin 1 and urocortin 3 (stresscopin), are endogenous ligands for the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptors, particularly CRF type 2 receptor, that mediates a vasodilator action, a positive inotropic action and a central appetite-inhibiting action. These actions mediated by CRF type 2 receptor may ameliorate the stress response. Human urotensin-II is a potent vasoconstrictor peptide, while it acts as a vasodilator on some arteries. Human urotensin-II is expressed in various types of cells and tissues, including cardiovascular tissues, as well as many types of tumor cells. Thus, these fish-derived peptides appear to play important roles in human physiology, such as appetite regulation, stress response and cardiovascular regulation, and also in diseases, for example, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and tumors. Development of antagonists/agonists against the receptors for these peptides may open new strategies for the treatment of various diseases, including obesity-related diseases, hypertension, heart failure and malignant tumors.
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PMID:Translational medicine in fish-derived peptides: from fish endocrinology to human physiology and diseases. 1500 3

Co-localization of urocortin (Ucn) and its putative receptor (CRF-R2beta) in peripheral tissues, including the heart and vasculature, suggests an important role for the peptide as a regulator of cardiovascular function. Indeed, Ucn gene expression and/or immunoreactivity are increased in the ventricles of patients with failing hearts. Hemodynamic effects of Ucn include vasodilation and increases in cardiac contractility, coronary blood flow and conductance, cardiac output and heart rate. Due to the likely benefit of such actions in states of cardiac compromise, our laboratory has recently reported the first study examining the effects of Ucn in ovine experimental heart failure. We observed profound and sustained cardiovascular (reduced cardiac preload and afterload and increased cardiac output), hormonal (inhibition of vasopressin, endothelin and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis) and renal effects (natriuresis, diuresis and augmented creatinine clearance). Such effects incorporate many of the therapeutic goals of heart failure management. Recently, two further members of the CRF peptide family have been identified. In contrast to Ucn, Ucn II and III are reported to be highly selective for the CRF-R2beta, displaying negligible affinity for CRF-R1. As such, one could speculate that these new peptides might produce the salutary effects in heart failure as seen with Ucn, without concomitant activation of the stress-related hormone ACTH (mediated via CRF-R1). Clearly, further study is essential to confirm whether manipulation of this new family of peptides (especially Ucn II and Ucn III) offers benefit to the syndrome of heart failure with potential clinical applications in humans.
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PMID:Urocortins: putative role in cardiovascular disease. 1532 Aug 6