title: Serum specific vasopressin-degrading activity is related to blood total cholesterol levels in men but not in women.
abstract: The role of vasopressin (AVP) in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease is controversial, but this peptide hormone is elevated in heart failure and some forms of hypertension. Also, AVP has vasoconstrictor, mitogenic, hyperplasic and renal fluid retaining properties which, by analogy with angiotensin II, may have deleterious effects when present in chronic excess. Furthermore, cholesterol blood levels are also associated with hypertension, although the underlying mechanism is not known. Here we analyze the relationship between blood total cholesterol levels and serum vasopressin- degrading cystyl-aminopeptidase activity (AVP-DA) in healthy humans, and the differences between men and women. Linear correlation coefficients were calculated to test relationships between AVP-DA and blood total cholesterol levels. Sex differences were observed for AVP-DA, being this activity higher in men than in women. According to the linear model of the regression analysis, AVP-DA showed a significant negative correlation with blood total cholesterol levels in men, whereas no correlation was observed in women. Several studies in humans demonstrate the existence of greater plasma AVP concentrations in normal men compared to normal women, which could explain the gender-differences observed in the present work in relation with AVP-DA. However, AVP-DA is related to blood cholesterol levels only in men, although in our hands, women showed higher blood cholesterol levels than men. This could indicate that the risk of high cholesterol-related hypertension is more probable in men than in women. Although AVP-DA misregulation could be involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension, its relation with cholesterol levels appears only in men, but not in women.
authors.affiliation: Experimental and Clinical Physiopathology Research Group, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Experimental and Health Sciences, University of Jaén, Jaén, Spain.
authors.forename: María Jesús
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ramírez-Expósito
authors.forename: Marcelina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arrazola
authors.forename: María Pilar
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Carrera-González
authors.forename: José Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Arias de Saavedra
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Agesta
authors.forename: María Dolores
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Mayas
authors.forename: José Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Martínez-Martos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006490:Hemostatics / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000097:blood* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D006490:Hemostatics; D014667:Vasopressins; D002784:Cholesterol