Recent studies have provided several lines of evidence that peripheral administration of oxytocin induces analgesia in human and rodents. However, the exact underlying mechanism of analgesia still remains elusive. In the present study, we aimed to identify which receptor could mediate the analgesic effect of intraperitoneal injection of oxytocin and its cellular mechanisms in thermal pain behav...

Vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) receptors (nomenclature as recommended by NC-IUPHAR [94]) are activated the endogenous cyclic nonapeptides vasopressin oxytocin. These peptides derived from precursors which also produce neurophysins (neurophysin I for oxytocin; neurophysin II vasopressin). differ at only 2 amino acids (positions 3 8). There metabolites of these neuropeptides that may be biol...

Central vasopressin pathways have been implicated in the mediation of paternal behavior, selective aggression, and affiliation in monogamous prairie voles. Here we demonstrate markedly different patterns of brain vasopressin receptor binding in the monogamous prairie vole and the congeneric nonmonogamous (promiscuous) montane vole. Vasopressin binding was assessed with both 3H-vasopressin and 1...

Although acupuncture has a significant clinical benefit, the mechanism of acupuncture remains unclear. Vasopressin, a posterior pituitary hormone, is involved in nausea and vomiting in humans and dogs. To investigate the antiemetic effects of acupuncture on vasopressin-induced emesis, gastroduodenal motor activity and the frequency of retching and vomiting were simultaneously recorded in consci...

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is a 9-amino acid peptide that is secreted from the posterior pituitary in response to high plasma osmolality and hypotension. AVP has important roles in circulatory and water homoeostasis, which are mediated by oxytocin receptors and by AVP receptor subtypes: V(1a) (mainly vascular), V(1b) (pituitary), and V(2) (renal). Vaptans are orally and intravenously active non...

BACKGROUND Lithium, a drug frequently used for treatment of affective disorders, is known to cause a vasopressin-resistant state, leading to polyuria and polydipsia. It has been suggested that lithium interacts with the renal V2-vasopressin receptor. Detailed studies on the influence of lithium on the AVP receptor, however, have so far been difficult due to the lack of a suitable radioligand wi...

Previous studies have suggested that mineralocorticoids are needed for a normal action of vasopressin on collecting duct osmotic water permeability. However, the mechanisms behind this are unknown. To investigate if aldosterone-receptor blockade influences vasopressin type 2 receptor (V(2))-mediated renal water reabsorption and the renal expression of the vasopressin-regulated water channel aqu...

Background: Vasopressin type 2 receptor (V2R) plays an important role in the water reabsorption in the kidney collecting ducts. V2R is a G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) and the triplet of amino acids aspartate-arginine-histidine (DRH) in this receptor might significantly influence its activity similar to other GPCR. However, the role of this motif has not been fully confirmed. Therefore, the ...

Starting from the 2.8-A resolution x-ray structure of bovine rhodopsin, three-dimensional molecular models of the complexes between arginine vasopressin and two receptor subtypes (V1a, V1b) have been built. Amino acid sequence alignment and docking studies suggest that four key residues (1.35, 2.65, 4.61, and 5.35) fine tune the binding of vasopressin and related peptide agonists to both recept...

Unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) is a clinical scenario that leads to obstructive nephropathy. UUO alters the expression of many mediators in the ipsilateral kidney. Renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is involved in UUO. Angiotensin II (Ang II) and angiotensin 1-7 (Ang 1-7) as the main arms of RAS influence kidney function which may alter by UUO. Ang II via Ang II receptor subtypes I (AT1R) ...