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)

To characterize normal changes with aging, we measured plasma levels of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and vasopressin, as well as alpha 2-adrenergic receptor numbers (Bmax) and the antagonist dissociation constant (Kd) from platelet-derived membranes of white, younger (aged 28 +/- 6 years, n = 30) and older (aged 70 +/- 4 years, n = 41) normotensive, healthy volunteers. There were no differences in resting vasopressin or epinephrine levels at 0.83 +/- 0.83 and 360 +/- 120 pmol/L in the younger versus 1.0 +/- 0.2 and 450 +/- 420 in the older subjects, respectively. However, plasma norepinephrine was significantly higher in the older (2.87 +/- 1.34 nmol/L) versus the younger subjects (1.50 +/- 0.53 nmol/L, P less than .01). Platelet alpha 2-receptor numbers were significantly lower in the older subjects at 289 +/- 79 fmol/mg protein versus 388 +/- 81 fmol/mg protein in the younger subjects (P less than .01), compatible with but not proof of down-regulation by norepinephrine. However, Kd, representing receptor affinity, was similar in both groups. Therefore, studies of hormone and receptor status in various pathologic conditions should always take into account the normal changes attributable to the age of the subject population.
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PMID:Effect of aging on vasopressin, catecholamines, and alpha 2-adrenergic receptors. 216 69

The endothelium modulates coronary vascular tone by the release of endothelium-derived relaxing or contracting substances. The endothelium-derived relaxing factor has been identified as nitric oxide synthesized in endothelial cells from L-arginine. The endothelium can release other relaxing substances such as prostacyclin and a hyperpolarizing factor. Endothelin-1 is a potent vasoconstrictor peptide formed by endothelial cells, and is likely to be the physiologic antagonist of endothelium-derived relaxing factor. Other putative contracting factors include superoxide anions and products of arachidonic acid metabolism. Endothelium-derived relaxing factor is released spontaneously and in response to flow, platelet-derived products (that is, serotonin, thrombin and adenosine diphosphate) and certain autacoids (that is, acetylcholine, bradykinin, histamine, substance P, vasopressin, alpha-adrenergic agonists). A considerable heterogeneity of responses exists among vessels of different size from different anatomic origin and different species. Hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerosis, hypertension and myocardial ischemia or reperfusion, or both, impair endothelium-dependent relaxation. Under normal conditions, endothelium-derived relaxing factor appears to dominate the control of vascular tone of large and small coronary vessels, whereas in disease states, endothelium-derived contracting factors are released. Impairments of endothelial function may be important in the development of various forms of cardiovascular disease.
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PMID:Endothelial control of vascular tone in large and small coronary arteries. 240 18

Neuropeptide Y (NPY), a sympathetic and platelet-derived vasoconstrictor, acts both directly and by potentiating adrenergic responsiveness and therefore may be beneficial in endotoxic shock, where suppressed vascular responsiveness to adrenergic agents is a key factor. This was studied in anesthetized rats. First, infusion of a nonhypotensive dose of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) markedly suppressed the pressor response to increasing doses of norepinephrine (NE), angiotensin II, and vasopressin but did not suppress the response to NPY. Second, in rats rendered hypotensive by intravenous LPS, continuous NE infusion (0.1-1.0 microgram.kg-1 x min-1 started 5 min after LPS for 1 h) did not alter hemodynamics. In contrast, 5 nmol.kg-1 x min-1 of NPY (equipotent to 0.1 microgram.kg-1 x min-1 of NE in normal rats) increased mean arterial pressure (MAP, from 64 to 114% of baseline), total peripheral resistance index (TPRI, from 64 to 154% of baseline), and left ventricular stroke work index (from 36 to 73% of baseline), without changing cardiac index (CI). Third, in a similar experimental protocol, pretreatment of the hypotensive rats with phentolamine blocked the pressor effect of NE infusion, but only partially attenuated the response to NPY. Finally, addition of low-dose NPY to NE infusion improved survival following a lethal dose of LPS compared with treatment with NE alone (P < 0.01). Thus, unlike other vasoconstrictors tested, NPY-mediated vasoconstriction is preserved during endotoxemia. The beneficial effect of NPY is mediated by increased TPRI without reduction in CI; both NPY receptor-mediated vasoconstriction and potentiation of adrenergic responsiveness may be involved.
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PMID:Neuropeptide Y infusion improves hemodynamics and survival in rat endotoxic shock. 790 7

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a sympathetic cotransmitter and a platelet-derived factor which causes vasoconstriction, potentiation of norepinephrine (NE) action, and vascular mitogenic effects. Reciprocally, NE markedly enhances the actions of NPY. We studied vasopressor effects of NPY and sources of peptide release during the development of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Conscious SHR (4 and 16 weeks old) had higher resting plasma levels of NE and epinephrine than age-matched Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats, but similar NPY immunoreactivity (NPY-ir) levels in platelet-poor plasmas (PPP). In both strains, NPY-ir levels in PPP were higher in 4-week-old than in older rats. However, at all ages (4-24 weeks) SHR had markedly elevated NPY-ir content in platelet-rich-plasmas than WKY rats, although levels declined with age and hypertension. In the superior mesenteric artery, NPY-ir content (per mg) was significantly higher in 4-week-old but lower in 16-week-old SHR than in WKY rats, suggesting greater sympatho-neural NPY stores and release (leading to depletion) during the development of hypertension. Four-week-old SHR also tended to have higher NPY-ir content in the adrenal medullae and coeliac ganglia but a lower content in the kidney than WKY rats; these differences disappeared with age. Pressor responsiveness to alpha-agonists and NPY were similar in both strains at 4 weeks. While unchanged by age in WKY rats, adrenergic and NPY-mediated vasopressor responses became augmented in 16- to 24-week-old SHR (compared with WKY rats); this hyperresponsiveness was not completely abolished by ganglionic blockade and not observed with vasopressin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Modulation of vascular function by neuropeptide Y during development of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats. 790 99

Ca2+ influx into cells in response to stimulation of various receptors was studied with Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts. The mechanisms involved were found to be so diverse that they were classified into four groups, Type I to IV. Type-I influx occurred, via pertussis toxin-susceptible G-proteins, immediately after internal Ca2+ mobilization by bradykinin, thrombin, endothelin, vasopressin or angiotensin II. Type-II influx induced by bombesin differed from Type I in its insusceptibility to pertussis toxin treatment. Ca2+ influx induced by prostaglandin E1, referred to as Type-III influx, was unique in that phospholipase C was apparently not activated without extracellular Ca2+, strongly suggesting that the Ca2+ influx preceded and was responsible for InsP3 generation and internal Ca2+ mobilization. More Ca2+ entered the cells more slowly via the Type-IV route opened by platelet-derived and other growth factors. These types of Ca2+ influx could be differentiated by their different susceptibilities to protein kinase C maximally activated by 1 h of exposure of cells to PMA, which inhibited phospholipase Cbeta coupled to receptors involved in Type-I and -II influx but did not inhibit growth-factor-receptor-coupled phospholipase Cgamma. Type-I and -II Ca2+ influxes, together with store-operated influx induced by thapsigargin, were not directly inhibited by exposure of cells to PMA, but Type-III and -IV influxes were completely inhibited. In addition, stimulation of receptors involved in Type-I and -IV Ca2+ influx, but not Type-II and -III influx, led to phospholipase A2 activation in the presence of extracellular Ca2+. Inhibition of Type-I and -IV Ca2+ influxes by their respective inhibitors, diltiazem and nifedipine, resulted in abolition of phospholipase A2 activation induced by the respective receptor agonists, in agreement with the notion that Ca2+ influx via these routes is responsible for receptor-mediated phospholipase A2 activation.
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PMID:Differential routes of Ca2+ influx in Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts in response to receptor stimulation. 940 82

Under conventional culture conditions, smooth muscle cells display their phenotypic modulation from a differentiated to a dedifferentiated state. Here, we established a primary culture system of smooth muscle cells maintaining a differentiated phenotype, as characterized by expression of smooth muscle-specific marker genes such as h-caldesmon and calponin, cell morphology, and ligand-induced contractility. Laminin retarded the progression of dedifferentiation of smooth muscle cells. Insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and IGF-II) and insulin markedly prolonged the differentiated phenotype, with IGF-I being the more potent. In contrast, serum, epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factors, and platelet-derived growth factors potently induced dedifferentiation compared with angiotensin II, arginine-vasopressin, and basic fibroblast growth factor. Using the present culture system, we investigated signaling pathways regulating a phenotype of smooth muscle cells. In cultured cells, IGF-I specifically activated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) and its downstream target, protein kinase B, but not mitogen-activated protein kinases. Specific inhibitors of PI3-kinase (wortmannin and LY294002) induced dedifferentiation of smooth muscle cells even when they were cultured on laminin under IGF-I-stimulated conditions. The sole effect of laminin to retard the dedifferentiation was completely blocked by anti-IGF-I antibody, and laminin promoted the endogenous expression of IGF-I in cultured cells. The reduced promoter activity of the caldesmon gene induced by platelet-derived growth factor BB was overcome by the forced expression of the constitutive active form of PI3-kinase p110alpha catalytic subunit. These findings suggest that an IGF-I signaling pathway through PI3-kinase plays a critical role in maintaining a differentiated phenotype of smooth muscle cells.
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PMID:Differentiated phenotype of smooth muscle cells depends on signaling pathways through insulin-like growth factors and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. 978 87

Oxygen free radicals have been suggested to play important roles in atherogenesis and other pathological processes in the blood vessel wall. The vascular wall contains large amounts of extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD), which is produced and secreted to the extracellular space by smooth muscle cells. In this study, we investigated the influence of factors regulating tension and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells and of some interstitial matrix components on EC-SOD expression. The expression and secretion of EC-SOD were upregulated by histamine, vasopressin, oxytocin, endothelin-1, angiotensin II, serotonin, heparin, and heparan sulfate and were downregulated by platelet-derived growth factors-AA and -BB, acidic and basic fibroblast growth factors, and epidermal growth factor. The responses were slow and developed over several days. The findings suggest that various physiological and pathological conditions might markedly influence EC-SOD expression, significantly altering the susceptibility of the vascular wall to effects of the superoxide radical.
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PMID:Vasoactive factors and growth factors alter vascular smooth muscle cell EC-SOD expression. 1155 52