title: Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide: occurrence and relaxant effect in female genital tract.
abstract: The distribution, localization, and smooth muscle effects of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) were studied in the human female genital tract. The concentrations of PACAP-38 and PACAP-27 were measured by radioimmunoassays, and both peptides were found throughout the genital tract. The highest concentrations of PACAP-38 were detected in the ovary, the upper part of vagina, and the perineum. The concentrations of PACAP-27 were generally low, in some regions below the detection limit and in other regions 1 to 5% of the PACAP-38 concentrations. Immunocytochemistry revealed that PACAP was located in delicate varicose nerve fibers that were most abundant in the internal cervical os, where they mainly seemed to innervate blood vessels and smooth muscle cells. PACAP-38 and PACAP-27 (10(-10)-10(-6) M) caused a concentration-dependent relaxation of the spontaneous activity of the nonvascular smooth muscle strips from fallopian tube and myometrium in vitro. Likewise, both peptides (10(-10)-10(-6) M) caused relaxation of nonrepinephrine (10(-6) M)-precontracted intramyometrial arteries. No effect of the PACAP sequences, PACAP-(6-27), PACAP-(16-38), and PACAP-(18-27), on fallopian tube was observed. The findings suggest a smooth muscle regulatory role of PACAP in the human female reproductive tract.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Hvidovre Hospital, Sweden.
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Steenstrup
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Alm
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hannibal
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Palle
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Junge
authors.forename: H B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ottesen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fahrenkrug
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005836:Genitalia, Female / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D009126:Muscle Relaxation; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000502:physiology; D051219:Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: C495401:ADCYAP1 protein, human; D009479:Neuropeptides; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D051219:Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide