The aim of this study was to determine whether cAMP signal transduction plays a role in the regulation of endothelial nitric oxide (NO) production. Canine coronary blood vessels were isolated, and nitrite, the hydration product of NO, from these vessels was quantified by using the Griess reaction. Forskolin (10(-4) mol/L), 8-bromo-cAMP (10(-2) mol/L), or isoproterenol (10(-4) mol/L) significant...

There is increasing evidence for the important role played by regulatory peptides in the physiology of the normal and neoplastic prostate. Adrenomedullin (AM) and pro-adrenomedullin N-terminal 20 peptide (PAMP) are recently discovered regulatory peptides widely expressed in the normal prostate and in prostate carcinoma. AM is produced in secretory, stroma, and endothelial cells and in neurons o...

The cardiovascular system is regulated by the autonomic nervous system, the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, nitric oxide (NO) and other factors including neuropeptides. Research in neurohumoral factors has led to the development of many cardiovascular drugs. Adrenomedullin (ADM), initially isolated from the adrenal gland, has diverse physiological and pathophysiological functions in the c...

Here are summarized data supporting that adrenomedullin (AM) is a multifunctional factor involved in the complex regulatory mechanisms of mammalian development. During rodent embryogenesis, AM is first expressed in the heart, followed by a broader but also defined spatio-temporal pattern of expression in vascular, neural, and skeletal-forming tissues as well as in the main embryonic internal or...

Endothelial hyperpermeability induced by inflammatory mediators is a hallmark of sepsis and adult respiratory distress syndrome. Increased levels of the regulatory peptide adrenomedullin (ADM) have been found in patients with systemic inflammatory response. We analyzed the effect of ADM on the permeability of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) and porcine pulmonary artery en...