Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P01185 (vasopressin)
 23,126 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated hypertension is one of the risk factors of atherosclerosis, but the underlying mechanism is complex and still controversial. Salt-sensitivity is an important characteristic demonstrated in a subgroup of hypertension, since the factors relating to salt-sensitivity also influence smooth muscle hypertrophy and proliferation which are essential processes of atherosclerosis. Insulin resistance is also involved in the causal relationship between hypertension and atherosclerosis, because accumulating data indicate a central role of insulin resistance in patients with hypertension, glucose-intolerance and dyslipidemia. Vasoacting substances give direct effects on not only the tension but also the growth of smooth muscle cells, namely vasodilators, such as nitric oxide and atrial natriuretic peptides inhibit the proliferation of smooth muscle cells. On the other hand, vasoconstrictors such as angiotensin II, vasopressin and endothelin promote the proliferation of smooth muscle cells. The factors which influence both tension and proliferation of smooth muscle cells may play a central role in the relationship between hypertension and atherosclerosis.
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PMID:[The role of hypertension as a risk factor of atherosclerosis]. 769 22

Oxytocin (OT) is a neurohypophyseal peptide traditionally associated with female reproductive functioning, and more recently with prosocial behavior. OT and its receptor are also expressed in the heart and vascular tissue and play a role in cardiovascular homeostasis. In vitro, it has been demonstrated that OT decreases NADPH-dependent superoxide production and pro-inflammatory cytokine release from vascular endothelial cells and macrophages, suggesting that OT may attenuate pathophysiological processes involved with atherosclerotic lesion formation. The present study sought to determine the effect of chronic exogenous OT administration on inflammation and atherosclerosis in an animal model of dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis, the Watanabe Heritable Hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbit. Twenty-two, 3-month-old WHHLs were surgically implanted with osmotic mini-pumps containing OT (n=11) or vehicle (n=11), and then were individually housed for the entire study. Blood and 24-h urine samples were taken at baseline and after 8 (midpoint) and 16 (endpoint) weeks of treatment. At endpoint, the aortas and visceral fat samples were dissected and stored for analyses. There were no group differences in body weight, serum lipids, plasma/urinary measures of oxidative stress, plasma cortisol or urinary catecholamines over the 16-week treatment. OT-treated animals exhibited significantly lower plasma C-reactive protein levels at midpoint and endpoint and developed significantly less atherosclerosis in the thoracic aorta relative to vehicle control animals at endpoint (p<0.05). Cytokine gene expression from visceral adipose tissue samples suggested that there was a decrease in adipose tissue inflammation in the OT-treated group compared to the vehicle control group, however these differences were not statistically significant. These results suggest that chronic peripheral OT administration can inhibit inflammation and atherosclerotic lesion development.
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PMID:Oxytocin administration attenuates atherosclerosis and inflammation in Watanabe Heritable Hyperlipidemic rabbits. 2299 49