title: Human urotensin-II is a potent vasoactive peptide: pharmacological characterization in the rat, mouse, dog and primate.
abstract: The observation that the novel G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) GPR14 and its cognate ligand, urotensin-II (U-II), are expressed within the mammalian vasculature raises the possibility that they may influence cardiohemodynamic homeostasis. To this end, this study examined the vasoactive properties of U-II in rodents, dogs and primates. In vitro, human U-II was a sustained vasoconstrictor with a potency (pD2s < or = 9) approximately an order of magnitude greater than that seen with endothelin-1 (ET-1), making it one of the most, if not the most, potent mammalian vasoconstrictor identified to date. However, in vitro responses exhibited significant anatomical and/or species-dependency, that is, human U-II was a selective 'aorto-coronary' vasoconstrictor in rats and dogs, inactive in mice and contracted all primate arteries studied. In vivo, this peptide evoked a complex, dose-dependent hemodynamic response in the anesthetized primate, culminating in severe myocardial depression and fatal circulatory collapse. As such, U-II may represent a novel neurohumoral regulator of mammalian cardiovascular physiology and pathology in particular disorders characterized by aberrant vascular smooth muscle and/or myocardial function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania 19406-0939, USA. steve_douglas-1@sbphrd.com
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Douglas
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Ashton
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Sauermelch
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Coatney
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Ohlstein
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Ruffolo
authors.forename: E H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Ohlstein
authors.forename: N V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Aiyar
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Willette
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004285:Dogs; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013045:Species Specificity; D014579:Urotensins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D014579:Urotensins; C029677:urotensin II