title: A V1-like receptor mediates vasopressin-induced flank marking behavior in hamster hypothalamus.
abstract: A vasopressin-sensitive mechanism within the medial preoptic area-anterior hypothalamus (MPOA-AH) appears to be essential for expression of a complex behavior involved in olfactory communication in Golden hamsters called flank marking. The present study investigated whether the induction of flank marking by arginine-vasopressin (AVP) within the MPOA-AH is mediated by a receptor that is more similar to the vasopressor (V1) or the antidiurectic (V2) AVP receptor. Adult male hamsters were anesthetized and implanted with a 26 gauge guide cannula stereotaxically aimed at the MPOA-AH and then microinjected with analogs of vasopressin, oxytocin, and selective V1 and V2 antagonists. Hamsters were tested for flank-marking behavior during a 5 or 10 min observation period following the injection of peptide in a vehicle of 100 nl of saline. None of the 15 analogs of AVP and oxytocin produced more flank marking than the 50.8 +/- 16.2 and 76.8 +/- 4.4 (mean +/- SEM; n = 4) flank marks observed following injection of AVP at the 1 or 10 ng dose, respectively. The number of flank marks produced by each analog was found to be highly related to the pressor activity of that analog at both the 1 ng (rho = +0.74, p less than 0.01) and 10 ng (rho = +0.82, p less than 0.01) doses. In contrast, no statistically reliable relationship between flank marking and the antidiuretic activity of these analogs was found at either dose (1 ng: rho = +0.07, p greater than 0.05; 10 ng: rho = +0.10, p greater than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006224:Cricetinae / Q000502:physiology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D011945:Receptors, Angiotensin / Q000502:physiology*; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000502:physiology*; D017483:Receptors, Vasopressin; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D011945:Receptors, Angiotensin; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D017483:Receptors, Vasopressin; D014667:Vasopressins; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin; D010121:Oxytocin