title: Adrenomedullin activity in chronically hypoxic rat lungs.
abstract: Adrenomedullin (AM) is a novel vasodilator with structural similarities to calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). This study investigated AM activity in the rat lung during hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension. Both rat AM (0.2-10 nmol) and alpha-CGRP (0.2-2 nmol) produced dose-related reductions in pulmonary artery pressure in the isolated perfused lung ventilated with 2% O2. Pretreatment with alpha-CGRP, which demonstrated tachyphylaxis, or its antagonist, CGRP-(8-37), reduced the hypotensive response to AM, suggesting that part of the response to AM is mediated by CGRP receptors. 125I-labeled AM and 125I-labeled CGRP binding was significantly increased in lung membranes from 7-day hypoxic animals (AM from 1.94 +/- 0.3 to 3.36 +/- 0.4 and CGRP from 0.06 +/- 0.01 to 0.12 +/- 0.02 pmol/mg protein), with no change in dissociation constant. Moreover, the hypotensive response to both peptides was increased in the lungs of 7-day hypoxic rats. There was no significant change in lung immunoreactive AM concentrations (hypoxic 5.04 +/- 0.48 vs. control 6.28 +/- 0.76 pmol/g wet wt of tissue) or steady-state AM mRNA levels in 7-day hypoxic rats. Nonetheless, AM may be useful for the acute pharmacological manipulation of pulmonary artery pressure in hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Owji
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Nunez
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ghatei
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Bloom
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Wilkins
mesh_terms: D053607:Adrenomedullin; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000378:metabolism; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000378:metabolism*; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011869:Radioligand Assay; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012016:Reference Values; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D053607:Adrenomedullin