title: [Calcitonin gene-related peptide and neural control of vascular tone].
abstract: Rat mesenteric resistance blood vessels are innervated by nonadrenergic, noncholinergic (NANC) vasodilator nerves. In vitro pharmacological, biological and immunohistochemical studies have provided evidence that the calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP), a 37 amino acid peptide translated by the calcitonin gene, has a potent vasodilator effect and acts as a vasodilator neurotransmitter for NANC vasodilator nerves. The CGRP-containing vasodilator nerves inhibit adrenergic nerve-mediated vasoconstriction through direct relaxation of vascular smooth muscle, while adrenergic nerves suppress the neurotransmision of CGRP-containing nerves by inhibiting CGRP release from the nerve. Thus, CGRP-containing nerves and adrenergic nerves control vascular tone with reciprocal interferences. In in vivo studies, spinal cord (T9-12) stimulation of pitched rats produced a NANC depressor response mediated by endogenous CGRP, suggesting that CGRP-containing nerves are regulated by the central nervous system. The malfunction of CGRP-containing vasodilator nerves may be involved in cardiovascular diseases such as essential hypertension, coronal vasospasm, cerebral vasospasm and Renaud's phenomenon. It is suggested that the CGRP-containing vasodilator nerves play an important role in the regulation of vascular tone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Miyazaki Medical College, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takasaki
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide