title: Plasma concentrations of arginine vasopressin, oxytocin and angiotensin in patients with hymenoptera venom anaphylaxis.
abstract: The plasma concentrations of arginine vasopressin, oxytocin, angiotensin I and II were studied in patients with hymenoptera venom anaphylaxis (n = 50) and healthy volunteers (n = 25). There was no difference in arginine vasopressin: 5.52 +/- 0.45 fmol/ml vs. 3.99 +/- 0.41 fmol/ml or oxytocin: 28.10 +/- 1.13 fmol/ml vs. 26.24 +/- 1.80 fmol/ml between patients and controls. No correlation between the severity of clinical symptoms and the plasma levels of arginine vasopressin and oxytocin was found in patients. However, patients with a history of hymenoptera venom anaphylaxis showed significantly reduced angiotensin I and angiotensin II plasma levels as compared to controls (ANG I: 9.51 +/- 0.61 fmol/ml vs. 22.91 +/- 1.73 fmol/ml; ANG II: 2.84 +/- 0.16 fmol/ml vs. 6.95 +/- 0.33 fmol/ml). A significant inverse correlation between the severity of clinical symptoms and the plasma levels of angiotensin I and angiotensin II was observed; the lower the concentrations the more severe the clinical symptoms. Oxytocin immunoreactivity eluted from the HPLC column as a single peak with the same retention time as synthetic oxytocin. The vasopressin immunoreactive material could be characterized on HPLC as arginine-vasopressin and two other peptides of unknown nature which crossreacted with the vasopressin antibody. These findings suggest a possible role of angiotensin I and angiotensin II in hymenoptera venom anaphylaxis while arginine vasopressin and oxytocin are most likely not involved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Eppendorf, University of Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hermann
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: von Eschenbach
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: von Tschirschnitz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ring
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000707:Anaphylaxis / Q000097:blood*; D000803:Angiotensin I / Q000097:blood; D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000097:blood; D000809:Angiotensins / Q000097:blood*; D000818:Animals; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000097:blood*; D001180:Arthropod Venoms / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006927:Hymenoptera / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000097:blood*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
chemical_list: D000809:Angiotensins; D001180:Arthropod Venoms; D000804:Angiotensin II; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin; D010121:Oxytocin; D000803:Angiotensin I