title: Adrenomedullin and endocrine disorders.
abstract: Adrenomedullin (AM) is a recently discovered potent vasodilatory peptide, originally isolated in extracts of human pheochromocytoma, with activities including maintenance of cardiovascular and renal homeostasis through vasodilatation, diuresis and natriuresis. Human AM consists of 52 amino acids with a 6-member ring structure linked by a disulfide bond and amidated COOH terminal, which belongs to calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and amylin. The main sites of AM production are the lungs, vascular tissues (both endothelial and smooth muscle cells), heart, kidney, adrenal glands, pancreatic islets, placenta, anterior pituitary gland and gastrointestinal neuroendocrine system. Intravenous injection of AM increases blood flow predominantly in the tissues with the highest AM expression, suggesting that AM functions primarily as a paracrine/autocrine hormone, but it is also important as circulating hormone. The objective of this review is to analyze the evidence that AM may play a role in some endocrine disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Science, University of Rome, La Sapienza, Rome, Italy. claudio.letizia@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Letizia
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cerci
mesh_terms: D000309:Adrenal Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D053607:Adrenomedullin; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D003480:Cushing Syndrome / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004700:Endocrine System Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006929:Hyperaldosteronism / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006961:Hyperparathyroidism / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006980:Hyperthyroidism / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D007340:Insulinoma / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009384:Paraneoplastic Endocrine Syndromes / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D010673:Pheochromocytoma / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D053607:Adrenomedullin; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone